Fire of the Fox
by BullardCR
Summary: When an ANBU quits running from his past, he makes a choice which will impact the Rookie Nine forever.
1. Chapter I: Selection

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter I:**

It was a foolish mistake, Raidon thought, dropping the kunai as the infantrymen closed in on him. So much had gone wrong on this mission, all thanks to his brother, Fudo. The nearest soldier, a newly conscripted boy, no less, was the one who held him at spear-point. The blood from his wounds had started to clot, and for added effect, the village's doctor was en route to their position. Apparently he was a valuable source of intelligence, and would not be spared through death.

Expendable, Raidon thought. That was what his team was. That was how the Fourth Hokage had treated them. His entire team had finally reached the rank of jounin not days before, and this was how they were repaid. This "last minute" mission, just a simple B-rank hop to the border and back, had proven far more challenging than they had anticipated. He only took it because he wanted a clean record of service before he began work in the ANBU. His comrades just wanted cushy instructor jobs with their own genin teams. They did not grasp the big picture, nor the significance politics played in combat, and vice versa.

They were all just sixteen, still considered children in some villages. They weren't even special by any means. There were several unique cases of students barely out of the academy who achieved chuunin and jounin status within two years, maybe even less. Still, they were supposed to be worth something, valued and loved by someone.

Raidon's eyes closed tightly as the pain in the open wounds intensified under the doctor's treatment. The ringing in his ears would not dissipate, regardless of the other stimuli. However, he could still hear well enough to know what the intelligence officers had in mind for him. Thankfully, he was smart enough to collect the forehead bands from his teammates, and hid them at the river bank. There were no other markings on his wholly gray and tan uniform to hint at his origins. Still, the words he overheard convinced him he had to proceed cautiously.

As the beatings began, a messenger from the bordering village in Cloud Country ran to the platoon leader. "Sir," the messenger panted. "Konoha, the Fire Country ninja village..."

"Yes?" the lieutenant asked.

"Their Kage is dead..."

Raidon cringed for a moment, and triggered the seal planted on his forehead, still hidden from the soldiers underneath a makeshift black bandana. Before it could take effect, though, he let the blood from his wounds catch in his cupped palms bound in front of him, and rubbed the crimson fluid over the paper seals tucked into his belt. Thirty seconds, the man reminded himself. That was how long he had before the seal would engage, and his mind would be lost.

An echoing roar followed the shattered treeline as thick, bellowing smoke flooded into the village. The explosive notes had done their job, erasing all evidence of their presence. Raidon couldn't help but clench his teeth, thinking about his teammates' bodies left in that pile of debris. The tags would destroy them, as well, leaving nothing to mourn but the incoming smoke.

"What the-?" the lieutenant barked, just as a sweeping kick dropped him to the ground. A large figure was suddenly on top of him, striking him with quick jabs to the chest and scalp. In an instant, the lieutenant stared, wide-eyed, as a pain built up in his chest. His heart would not beat.

Twenty seconds later, and five men were dead, while the others were running about, screaming at the top of their lungs. The explosive notes detonated sequentially, just as planned. The incoming blaze grew into a wildfire, moving directly in the path of the village. Five more seconds, and the flames were licking at the reinforced perimeter, guards leaping from the ramparts to their deaths.

The information would reach Konoha, and would be processed regardless of who took command. His comrades dead, all he had to do was stop the enemy from learning what he knew. As long as the seal took full effect before they pulled his tactical goggles away, his secret would be safe. he would die long before the fire would consume him, or before they could retrieve him for further questioning. As the brain cells began to decay, he let a faint, treacherous smile cross his lips. He lived long enough to know his enemies on both sides had been eliminated.

Such was the fate of those who crossed Raidon Hyuuga.

Iruka Umino groaned, the bandaging over the wound to his back pinning him into a painfully erect posture. He could neither sit nor lie down. Had he been smart, he would have simply let another chuunin read the roster for the new genin teams. Then again, he wanted to see Naruto's face light up, and the shock on the other students when "that dirty Uzumaki" managed to make it in. The student in question sat in his usual spot, next to Chouji and Shikamaru. This was going to be a significant change in the daily routine for them.

It always amused Iruka how much consideration was taken by the higher-ups when picking out genin teams. It was hardly just matching skill levels or abilities into a winning combination. While those were minor factors, the real selection of the groupings was based on promoting the future prosperity of the village. Trade alliances, social dynamics, and, dare he thought, the push for a steady increase in population forced the two man, one woman configuration in the hopes one member of the three-man cell would go after the kunoichi in the group.

Iruka thought back to the history the village, and couldn't wrap his head around a time when genin teams were selected from a balance of tactical skills alone. The change took place before the sannin were born. The other villages laughed for a period of time, but quickly noted Konoha's success, and causally linked it to the council's strict population control. Still, there were hold-outs. In fact, Umino heard gossip from Suna that the most prominent genin team up for the chuunin exams later this year were brothers and a sister. Such a configuration would never have been allowed in Konoha.

Looking up from the memo in front of him, the instructor noticed Naruto's concerned stare. Iruka just nodded with a slight smile on his face, trying to hide the bead of sweat which trickled down his forehead. He would have to cut his sessions short today, and instead let the remaining chuunin take over the induction of the latest Academy students. He promised the Hokage and the medic-nin he would return to the hospital shortly after. "I owe it to them," he told the Third, who seemed to agree.

The memo he held, in fact, did not have the listings of the new genin teams. Nor did it have any hint as to when the combination would be derived. Instead, it simply explained in lengthy Legalese, that the decisions were still up for debate. There was only one thing left to do.

"Class," Iruka began, the students instantly settling down. "The decision for the genin teams is still being processed, but we should have them shortly." Each official genin set their forehead bands down, which they had all gummed up with fingerprints, admiring them as treasures in only the way a child could. "So, until we have a decision, I'd like to take this time to answer any last-minute questions you may have that you didn't learn in class, or that you have about being a genin."

There were several stale, irritating questions that the teachers' pets had obviously researched, but nothing genuine. That is, there were no genuine questions until both Naruto and Hinata Hyuuga raised their hands. Uzumaki had been shown too many favors for one day, so drifting to the ancient rule of ladies first, Umino indicated the Hyuuga heiress.

"The...counselors from before," she began quietly stuttering. "Are they... always right?"

The class was split in their reactions, some snickering at the girl's cowardice, while the more prominent students sat quietly awaiting an answer. The personality questioning and psychological exams were simplistic attempts to statistically analyze the stability of the graduating class, and nothing more. Unless there were significant outliers that bordered on insanity, everyone was simply allowed to pass. Mizuki made it through, as Iruka coldly reminded himself.

"Hinata," Iruka began softly. "Sooner or later, a situation will arise when there is an imminent threat to yourself, your teammates, or the village. From all my experience, I have run into... situations... where I have had to use my training to its fullest. You have yet to experience that, and I hope, for sounding too optimistic, you never have to encounter those kind of threats."

Hinata cringed, and the reaction caught Naruto's attention. A few of the students who graduated with them, the ones who were held back a year, just laughed at her timid nature. Uzumaki, on the other hand, understood her concern. He had already been threatened with death just the night before, and while he didn't have to use lethal force... Naruto paused, plunging deeply into the recesses of his mind. Would he really have been able to kill Mizuki? Could he have really done it?

"Just remember," Iruka continued. "Your teammates will do everything in their power to protect you, and I imagine you will do the same. You shouldn't feel bad for doing what is necessary to protect yourself or your friends." It was not an ideal answer, but it was suitable. If she wasn't willing to hurt people to do what was best for the village, she would have never considered being a shinobi. Then again, there was little choice in the matter for her.

Kakashi was relieved, for the most part. "Dead Last" would not end up in his genin team. However, he was rather disappointed, wondering what kind of treatment the Fourth's legacy would receive from another instructor. Kurenai and Asuma joined him shortly on the roof of the Hokage Tower.

"Are they still debating?" Asuma grumbled.

"There's a backlog of students graduating a year late," Kakashi explained. "The teams won't balance out to perfect three-man cells. For the most part, the teams are chosen, but there are still one or two genin being shuffled around."

Kurenai raised an eyebrow. "No three-man cells? How are we supposed to work around that?"

"The Third mentioned something about an ANBU requesting a chance to instruct a genin team this year," Kakashi sighed. Asuma and Kurenai both glanced at each other, then stared at their masked friend, waiting for information. "He wants to take the worst performing students of the graduating classes, and put them through some kind of remedial training with Anko Mitarashi as an adjunct instructor."

"So, Mitarashi's going for full-blown jounin, eh?" Asuma grinned. He was glad to hear one of the specialized jounin was trying to do push beyond their stagnant rankings. Particularly, he was proud it was Anko. She had a bad label thrown on her by the village simply because of her instructor's actions. "Sounds like this guy is begging to stand out. Is he just trying to ruin our requests?"

"Well, he's at least ruined one of mine," Yuuhi sighed, glancing at the preliminary list Kakashi handed to her. "Hinata Hyuuga has been assigned to the remedial class. That's going to throw off my entire group, meaning I'll need to train one of the holdbacks from last year in scouting." She passed on the list to Sarutobi.

"I get the Nara, Yamanaka, Akimichi combination this year," Asuma groaned. "It's like the Third is just trying to play favorites." Still, Sarutobi thought, it wasn't so bad having a good hand to begin with. He could at least count on the village elders sticking to tradition. "What about you, Kakashi? Any changes in your group?"

"I will be teaching the Uchiha, and Sakura Haruno this year," the former ANBU declared. "My third student was the exception to this year's graduating class-"

"You're going to have Naruto Uzumaki?" Kurenai wheezed, blinking in confusion.

"Rough break," Asuma smirked. "That's at least one loudmouth headache on your hands, maybe more, depending how badly he meshes with the others-"

"The new jounin took him..." There was nothing more to be said at that point. "Take a good long look at the students on his list. He's up to something, but what, I can't determine."

Glancing over the edge of the tower's roof, Kurenai noticed the dispersing elders of the council. The decisions had been made, and all that was left was to accept the results.

The Third Hokage stared at the man in black coveralls with tan padding over the joints, the signature tactical vest of a higher ranking shinobi, and the opaque, circular sunglasses which shielded his eyes. Sarutobi could not help but notice the circular scar on his forehead, partially concealed with the rippled scar tissue of severe burns. The genin he requested, at least two of them, would not catch on to its significance. "It has been quite some time," the old man stated calmly. He tried to pull a faint smile, but the man simply glared back. "I'm surprised you requested this transfer. You've been on every deep cover mission beyond Fire Country's borders you could take since at least a decade ago. What's changed?"

"Twelve years to be precise," the man answered. "That is precisely why I have returned. _That_ student, from what I understand, needs a certain motivation he is lacking from the existing instructors."

The Third grimaced. "What are you going to do differently that the others have not?"

"Make him into a shinobi, Sir," he curtly answered. "The seven I requested need more work, and not just in their combatives." He knew it would be difficult to convince the Hokage, but it was important to explain his intent. "With your permission, I would like the training to consist of academic and tactical training with the border guard at Mamoru."

Sarutobi raised an eyebrow. "The bordering village with Wind Country?"

"I can assure you no ninjutsu, genjutsu, or bloodline limit training will take place anywhere near that village, Sir." The man knew this question was coming. "Consider it walking a kilometer in another man's shoes."

Sarutobi understood instantly. "The world is changing," he admitted sadly, turning his chair to face the window of his office behind him. As the man began to walk away, the Third interrupted one last time. "The Fourth didn't want to do it, but he had no idea the informant was so closely tied to the village. If it were someone from another clan, we could have flushed them another way." The old man paused. "He's been dealt with, and the clan has suffered enough. If you truly want to cleanse the hate, you need to quit running."

But he already understood. He had spent twelve years understanding. Understanding, however, would not bring his friends back. "Yeah," Raidon breathed.

Iruka groaned, his back still throbbing. Suddenly, a chuunin stepped into the classroom with a list in hand. The questions had proven annoying at best, and after a two hour delay, he was glad it was over. Still, Umino thought, between Hinata's question, Naruto's concerned glances, and the dozing glances of Shikamaru, he was going to miss this particular class. There was something about them that was different than the three he had taught before. Perhaps it was just the right combination of students, or maybe it was the fact he was finally becoming comfortable with his job. Another quick glance towards Naruto, and he knew this particular class was going to be something special.

"Okay," Iruka breathed, holding up the list to the light. He could hardly believe it. Studying the list, he could not understand what the council was thinking. "Umm... it looks like there has been a change from prior years," he stuttered. "There are three genin teams, and a specialized remedial class..."

As if on cue, all the students protested. However, each protest was different. The better performing students were being yelled at by those mediocre performers, arguing about preferential treatment, while two students in particular cringed. Hinata Hyuuga gulped nervously, not wanting to be placed in the remedial course, yet also not wanting to burden a proper genin team. She glanced over to the other who cringed.

Naruto Uzumaki cursed under his breath, and was about to raise his hand in protest when Iruka shot him a dark look. Hinata caught the interaction between the two, and observed silently. She could see the boy shrink back, and hang his head. He had fought so hard, and to be put in a remedial class was the best that would happen? "Because of the large number of students, the genin teams couldn't be properly balanced out," Umino shouted over the tantrums thrown by the anxious graduates. "Therefore, two new instructors will be conditioning those in the larger group for-"

"This is a joke!" one student screamed.

"We didn't work this hard just to be shoved aside for the Uchiha, and the favored clan trio-" another yelped, until a sound from behind him cut off his protest.

"The class is required for those who didn't meet an eighty-percent or higher," the cold, dead voice of a man stated from the back of the classroom. Iruka glanced up. When had that man come in? He could have sworn the stranger wasn't there before, and a full squad of chuunin were guarding all the entrances. "However, whether or not you deserve to move on is up to you."

"It's a waste of time!" one student complained. "You're keeping us back!"

The man was wearing shades and a black bandana, the standard issue forehead plate riveted to a reinforced tan shoulder pad on his left arm. Atop his bandana was a pair of tactical goggles, their opaque, golden lenses reflecting the fluorescent lighting of the crowded auditorium. Following behind him were Kurenai Yuuhi and Asuma Sarutobi. "No," the man argued. "You hold yourselves back! Look around, and tell me honestly you think everyone in this classroom has what it takes for combat."

"Yeah, we do!" a lone voice barked. Hinata didn't recognize it at first. His voice was so different from before. Only when she stared in disbelief did she associate the challenging voice with Naruto Uzumaki. "Just put me on a genin team, and I'll prove it! Everyone here deserves to move forward!"

The man in black grinned, glancing back to Iruka. "Clear the room."

"Huh?" Umino started. "Hey, wait!"

"You are in no condition to protest with your injuries, Mr. Umino," the man barked. "Clear the room!" As the chuunin filed out, Asuma and Kurenai moved to the furthest corner from the jounin. Each looked nervously at the other, and back at the former ANBU. "You're the one who passed under... extenuating circumstances, am I right?"

A few of his classmates snickered, but Naruto held his opponent's stare. "What of it?"

The jounin reached from behind his tactical belt, and with lightning speed, plunged a kunai into the desk before the boy. Naruto flinched, but dared not move. Everything was too fast. He couldn't even see the man's lead up to the strike. "Why are you panicking?" he asked.

"W-what do you mean, 'why am I panicking'?" Naruto screamed, retracting his hands from the wooden surface. "You could have killed me!" Before he could make his point, though, the instructor was already walking up to the chalkboard. Again, the students from before were snickering, and Hinata thought she could see a pair of girls pointing with mocking looks at the blonde-haired boy, causing her teeth to clench momentarily.

"Before you start wetting yourselves, finding how amusing this is," the jounin grumbled sarcastically, "Mr. Uzumaki, over there, is the only one of you who has actual combat experience!" Hinata pulled her hateful stare from the pair of girls as the students went silent. No one was laughing anymore. The man moved in closer, his eyes hidden behind the sunglasses as he studied the boy carefully. "If memory serves, you took on a chuunin all by yourself, using a jounin-level technique, and saving a fellow shinobi in the process, am I right?"

"Y-yes..." Naruto murmured, barely audible.

The jounin instructor glared at the boy. "What was that? Our great warrior of this year's genin can't project his voice?" The man strolled up to Naruto, his body erect, hands tucked behind his back. "Stand up, son! Show some pride in yourself!" He waited for the blonde to stumble to his feet. The boy stood there awkwardly, the eyes of all those around him focused directly on his verbal battle with this man who started to turn towards each student as he spoke. "The first rule when addressing me, or any superior, is to do so with respect for yourself, and your fellow shinobi!" He paused, Naruto shifting nervously from one foot to another. "Stand still, boy!"

Before Naruto could protest, the man was beside him, Shikamaru pushed aside while the jounin measured up the reluctant blonde. First, he positioned Naruto's shoulders. "Shoulders back, hands clasped behind you," he stated. Spreading his stance to shoulder width, giving his pupil a chance to observe, he urged Uzumaki's feet into the proper position with a light kick to the shin. "Feet at shoulder width, to give you a firm, balanced stance, ready for action," he bellowed. "And finally, your head is held up high, eye contact directly with mine! Understood?"

"Y-yes," Naruto answered, his voice trembling.

"Now, Mr. Uzumaki," the jounin started, turning to his pupil, mirroring Naruto's stance. "The kunai buried into that desk of yours, could you pick it up and slash my throat before I could react?"

"N-no..."

"Why do you say that?"

Naruto blinked. He thought the answer was obvious. "Because I couldn't even see you pull it on me before. How am I supposed to beat you if I'm not as fast as you?" Uzumaki's tone became a little insulting, and the students started to chuckle again.

"Why are you boneheads laughing?" the instructor started. The genin instantly went silent. "Mr. Uzumaki here has made a very wise observation." He turned to one of the laughing students, the Inuzuka of this year. "Mr. Inuzuka," he started in his tone, waiting for the boy to respond. However, both he and the dog with him sat perfectly still. "Are you somehow special? Didn't I just tell you how to address a superior?"

"U-umm... no, Sir!" Kiba blurted, stumbling to stand, copying Naruto's posture. Once he stood, there was a loud crack, and a kunai was planted, this time up to the hilt, in the desk before him.

"Hmm... I like that 'sir' bit," the jounin nodded as he spoke. He didn't have to address the others for each genin to make a note of that. "Mr. Inuzuka, could _you_ slash my throat before I could react?"

Kiba shook his head. "No, Sir."

The jounin leaned in slowly, his face only centimeters from Kiba. "Then _why_ are you laughing at Mr. Uzumaki?" Kiba just glared as the man walked away, again to the chalkboard. "Those of you who made the eighty percent benchmark are free to leave." he started again, just as the desk chairs squealed on the polished wooden floor. "You'll be informed of your team assignments, and your instructors will make the appropriate appointments for your first meetings." As nine students filed out, the remaining eight just glared. "As for the rest of you," he interrupted, "I have our first assignment."

The students groaned collectively. 'What was this, the academy?', Naruto thought. They were genin now, or at least they were supposed to be.

With the attention of the remedial class on him, the man spoke softly. "Under your seat, you will each find a kunai, a topographic map, a box of matches, and fifty meters of twine. Consider these the only gifts you will ever receive from me. Everything else from this point on must be earned." The students, one after the other, reached under their seats and retrieved the offerings.

Drawing on the chalkboard a crude representation of both Wind and Fire Countries, the man started his briefing. "As you can see on your map, the village of Mamoru is approximately four-hundred kilometers northwest of Konoha." Naruto, out of all the students, looked completely confused. He couldn't locate it to save his life. "For those who can't find it, you have thirty minutes to pair up with someone who can. In a half an hour, we meet at the village's western gate."

Kurenai blinked. "What the hell?" Asuma was lost, as well. He couldn't possibly be doing what the two jounin thought he was doing.

The man grinned. "Survival training begins in a half an hour, gentlemen. We leave for Mamoru at sixteen-hundred hours sharp!"

End of Chapter I

Coments/questions, please leave a review.


	2. Chapter II: Induction

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter II:**

_With the attention of the remedial class on him, the man spoke softly. "Under your seat, you will each find a kunai, a topographic map, a box of matches, and fifty meters of twine. Consider these the only gifts you will ever receive from me. Everything else from this point on must be earned." The students, one after the other, reached under their seats and retrieved the offerings._

_Drawing on the chalkboard a crude representation of both Wind and Fire Countries, the man started his briefing. "As you can see on your map, the village of Mamoru is approximately four-hundred kilometers northwest of Konoha." Naruto, out of all the students, looked completely confused. He couldn't locate it to save his life. "For those who can't find it, you have thirty minutes to pair up with someone who can. In a half an hour, we meet at the village's western gate."_

_Kurenai blinked. "What the hell?" Asuma was lost, as well. He couldn't possibly be doing what the two jounin thought he was doing._

_The man grinned. "Survival training begins in a half an hour, gentlemen. We leave for Mamoru at sixteen-hundred hours sharp!"_

--

Naruto panicked. He couldn't read this map! It was impossible! Standing outside the academy, he glanced at the children being enlisted for the next semester, preparing to enter where he had been, and apparently still was. What was this remedial class about? Hadn't he earned his forehead band saving Iruka-sensei? Even that jounin instructor who taunted him recognized that. What was this about? He clenched the map tightly, tearing the paper as he leaned uncomfortably against the wall of the academy's southern entrance.

Uzumaki was about to punch the door frame beside him, when he spotted Hinata Hyuuga exit through the passage. As soon as she caught a glimpse of him, her cheeks changed to a hint of pink. The heiress' eyes darted nervously. She was close, too close to observe him comfortably. Yet, he didn't seem to notice. Instead, the blonde held his right hand as if frozen in space in mid-strike, his body tense, a nervous, dumbfounded stare on his face. "Umm... Hi, Hinata," he answered quickly. The offending right hand reached to scratch the back of his head sheepishly, a grin plastered on his face.

"U-umm... Hello, Naruto," the girl answered back. That was when she noticed the crinkled bit of paper in the boy's hand. Her Hyuuga training in stealth observance kicked in instinctively, though it was not necessary. She had already learned how to read this boy. Every sound his garments made, every facial expression, gesture, and the stride at which he walked gave her insight to his mood. At this moment, it was not a pleasant one.

"I-is some-thing wrong, Naruto?" she stuttered. Why was she so obsessed with saying his name? It was as if doing so was a great victory, crossing a threshold she had never been able to before. Still, her eyes lingered back to the map, seeing his hand clench it tightly.

"I... I can't read maps, Hinata," he ground out through his clenched teeth. "I could never figure it out in the academy." Hinata blinked for a moment, the surprise of his statement distracting her from their proximity. "I was supposed to be a genin, but now... if I can't do something so _simple_ as this..."

"They did not focus as strongly on it as you might think," a voice echoed through the doorway. Hinata gasped, cringing at the footfalls behind them. Both students turned slowly, seeing the jounin from before, the opaque sunglasses shielding all emotion visible to Hinata. Even his movements, she noticed, were slow, mechanical, devoid of any hints as to his intentions. It was as though he knew how the Hyuuga read others. "Hence, why I'm forcing you to learn it now, under true field conditions."

"What the _hell_ does that mean?" Naruto yelped in frustration. "You just expect us to navigate territory we've never been to before without any skills?" For the longest time, the man in shades glared down at the orange jumpsuit wearing boy, who stared back just as intently. "What?"

"You forgot to address me as 'sir'," the jounin grumbled, twirling a kunai in his right hand. Instantly both Hinata and Naruto stood as shown in the class, feet shoulder width apart, hands clasped behind their backs, and heads held high, albeit with a cold sweat building on their foreheads. "That's better," their instructor stated, nodding approvingly.

"S-Sir?" Hinata pleaded. "Sir... I don't u-understand. We graduated... why are we in the remedial class?"

"That is true," the jounin stated calmly. "You did graduate, and were held to the same standards as everyone else." The man quickly tucked the kunai away, causing both genin to let out a relaxed sigh. "Perhaps the title is not the right choice." 'No,' he thought, a faint feral smile crossing his lips. 'It's the perfect code name, and will keep the other villages from guessing our intent.' Taking a moment to explain, he decided, would be best. "Did you know, during my graduating class, it was a regular practice for the jounin instructor to hold a simplistic test to confirm the graduating students were worthy of being genin?"

Hinata shook her head, while Naruto just glared.

"You don't believe me, do you?" the man smirked. "Feel free to ask any jounin, and they will confirm what I've said. Today's generation has it so much easier than we did. Too many of the instructors just want to pass students through, and work on gaining numbers. Hell, the only jounin I know of that still holds the Third's infamous bell test is that former ANBU, Kakashi."

"Bell test?" Naruto asked, squinting.

"Trust me, you don't want to know," the jounin smiled. "But even then, a single test doesn't qualify you to be a genin, or even come close to preparing you for what lies ahead. To be a chuunin, or a full jounin requires so much more, and not just raw ninjutsu talents." Pausing for dramatic effect, he leaned in to whisper in his students' ears. "What it really requires is cunning."

A sudden, artificial chirping sound caused the genin to jump. The jounin stood erect, glancing at the intricate watch on his left wrist. "We're running out of time," he frowned, turning his head at the setting sun. Autumn was coming early, and darkness would envelop the land in a matter of two, maybe three hours at most. Looking back at the tow genin, he noticed the torn map in the blonde's hand. "Have you two found partners yet?"

Both Hinata and Naruto shook their heads.

"Good, you just found them!" The man gripped Uzumaki's right wrist, jerking the fragments of the map out of the boy's hand. "And this won't do you any good anymore, will it?" The boy was about to start cursing, when the man started digging through his metal reinforced backpack. Retrieving a rolled up sheet of blank paper and a pencil, he glared at the boy. "Hyuugas have a tendency to be pretty sharp when it comes to land nav. When we reach camp, I want to see an exact copy of her map on this paper. You read me?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment, but nodded.

"As for you," he stated coldly, glaring at Hinata. "I've studied your profile. Your taijutsu _theory_ is sound, but it lacks experience." Grabbing at her wrists, he studied the girl's hands, knuckles scarred with traces of lacerations. "Trees don't take hits like people do. Use _him_ to practice tonight, after we set up camp."

Hinata's blush returned, her eyes darting wildly, trying to break the man's cloaked stare. For a moment, just a moment, she thought she could see through the opaque lenses. However, it was probably just an illusion. She thought she saw her father in him.

"We move out in seven minutes, people!" the jounin barked, already sprinting for the western edge of the village. "Get what you need for a three day hop to the border. Keep it light!"

Hinata started to shake. "We... we don't have any time!" she protested.

"Your fault, not mine!" the jounin shouted back, already several blocks from the academy.

--

It was a mad rush to the western gate as the sun sank lower in the sky. Uzumaki sprinted from shopkeeper to shopkeeper, trying in vain to purchase everything they needed for an unknown mission. Most simply shunned him, while the remainder tried to sell him ridiculously overpriced items, or told him outright if he didn't know what he needed, they couldn't help him. Hinata simply watched in horror, realizing they had only three minutes to make the deadline. "N-Naruto!" she blurted out. "We _have_ to hurry!"

The last shopkeeper turned to face the new voice, recognizing the Hyuuga. Why she was standing with that dreaded Uzumaki, he had no idea. "What's going on here?" he grumbled. "Why do you have to hurry?"

"B-Because..." Hinata gasped. "Our first genin mission starts in two minutes, and we aren't ready!"

The shopkeeper blinked, then rubbed his forehead. "You're not part of that 'remedial class', are you?"

Both the blonde and lavender haired genin nodded, slightly embarrassed.

"Son of a-" the man snarled. "I don't know what that jounin is pulling. I've had six other kids run up to me with the same wild requests for gear." The shopkeeper took a breath, and thought carefully. "Okay, it's a three day training mission, right? You have any food?"

"No," Hinata panicked. "But... he said it was survival training..."

Naruto's face lit up. 'Yes, the jounin did say that, didn't he?' the boy thought. "Sir," he started, dropping a green frog-shaped coin purse onto the counter. He spilt half of the contents. "How much shuriken and steel wire will this buy?"

The man glared at Naruto, but complied with the request. Reaching below his counter, the shopkeeper set a cardboard box filled with dulled, rusted kunai in front of the children. "They are all used, collected from the last chuunin exam," he explained, "so they're cheap." Setting another cardboard box on top of that, the shopkeeper showed the genin a sample of high tensile wire. "That's roughly fifty kunai, and ten spools of twenty meters of wire each."

Naruto bowed graciously, if not in an exaggerated fashion, and snatched the boxes away. "Let's go, Hinata!"

As the Hyuuga followed behind, quickly catching up to the boy struggling to juggle the boxes at a run, the man shook his head. "What is she thinking, being with that boy?"

--

"Pathetic!" the specialized jounin grumbled to the six genin standing before her. The woman in question wore a steel wire fishnet bodysuit which ran from her neckline to her thighs, accentuated by just enough fabric to keep her respectable for Konoha's decency laws. A pair of khaki shorts and trenchcoat, along with a tactical belt completed the ensemble. Her unkempt hair was restrained only by the forehead band with the classic deep blue fabric. Anko Mitarashi snarled, pacing up and down the line of genin. She had just ordered the class to empty their pockets, displaying the ludicrous supplies each of them brought for their mission. "High end shuriken, the best rations, the finest bottled water, and the ritziest tents in the village?" The man rubbed his forehead in his hand, the bandana inching up and down his scalp. "Did your mothers pack this all for you?"

"Yes-" one of the students from the prior year answered back, stupidly.

"Oh, for Godssake!" the woman cursed, smacking her forehead with her palm.

Out of nowhere, the panicked cries of two genin, one male, one female, grew in intensity. The class and their temporary instructor turned to face the new spectacle as the Hyuuga and the prankster blonde sprinted, stumbling with the boxes of cargo they brought. Within only two meters, the students finally stopped, setting the boxes down at their feet. "You are _late!_" the woman barked.

"Just...getting supplies," Naruto wheezed. Running wasn't so difficult before, he thought. Unfortunately, as he had not thought too deeply on the subject, a box of nearly fifty kunai was rather heavy when held out in front of the body. The blonde fell to his knees, gasping for air. "No one would sell us anything!"

"Yeah, I noticed," the jounin instructor's voice echoed, interrupting the interrogation. Turning to address the class, the man pointed at the late pair of students. "Lesson number one, which you all have learned the hard way," he began, "is logistics!" Walking past all of the students, the jounin paused, studying Naruto. "What is with all those kunai, Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Survival training, Sir," the boy coughed, struggling to his aching feet.

"No food, no other provisions?" the man asked. "Just... lots and LOTS of kunai? What were you thinking?"

Anko kneeled beside the blonde, and picked up one of the blades. "Make that rusted kunai," she added. "What are these, all junk training weapons?"

"Yes," Uzumaki answered simply. "If we were... going to learn survival, we needed tools."

"Nothing else?" the jounin asked. At that, Naruto pointed to Hinata, who waved nervously, trying to hide her eyes. "Ms. Mitarashi, what is in that box?"

Anko rolled her eyes. "They must have a good ten spools of wire in here. What were you going to do? Kill your teammates for food?"

Naruto finally straightened his posture, his head and eyes cast straight ahead at the man. "We needed kunai and wire to set traps for food, Sir."

The jounin nodded. "Okay, but what about shelter?"

Hinata was the next to answer. "W-with wire, and a few kunai, we can make our own shelters out of natural materials in the forest." Personally, the Hyuuga heiress had no idea how, technically, to build such a shelter. She simply heard stories of it being done, mentioned in the academy's lectures. As neither instructor started questioning her santiy, Hinata eased her expression from wild panic to an uncomfortable, blank stare.

"Do you really intend to carry all those kunai with you, Mr. Uzumaki?" the man croaked barely above a whisper.

"They're... for everyone," he answered, "Sir."

The man smiled a pleased, genuine smile. "Gentleman, I want you to pay close attention to Mr. Uzumaki and Ms. Hyuuga's example." Picking at random an intricately carved pocket knife from the surplus of equipment on the ground, "One of these knives costs ten times more than one of these kunai. Yet, when it comes down to brute force and cutting, the blunted, rusted kunai will outlast this knife." He let out a deep sigh. "This departure is taking longer than anticipated. Unless you all want to learn the more advanced night-based land nav the hard way, I suggest you pay close attention to my next set of orders."

The students all whipped their heads around to the jounin, each listening intently.

"This is Anko Mitarashi," the man began. "She's a specialized jounin, and she is the assistant instructor to this course." Pacing with his arms tucked behind his back, the man paused as he collected his thoughts. Slowly, the man removed his sunglasses. Hinata was the first to react, gasping, her hands clenching tightly. "My name is Raidon Hyuuga, and I am your primary instructor."

Naruto blinked. "Umm... Sir?" he asked. Raidon nodded. "Are you... and Hinata related?"

Raidon glared, his dull gray eyes lacking any of the shimmer seen in the other Hyuuga. "I prefer not to discuss that matter at this time, Mr. Uzumaki. Now pay attention to our instructions." Nodding in agreement, Naruto glanced over to Hinata, who suddenly slumped her head, studying the ground carefully before her feet.

"There are three girls, and five guys in this class," Raidon explained. "The pairs you have chosen to form will be your basic training unit through this course. Upon completion, unlike other students, we will give you the _option_ of choosing the genin team you wish to join. For all of the following activities, unlike the genin team selection, gender is null and void."

The students glanced at each other, then back to Hyuuga.

"You will learn to regard each other by abilities alone, and not the misconceived concept of social bonding," he continued. "However, there are certain activities that will require gender bias to come into play. For those situations, Ms. Mitarashi will instruct the females, while I instruct the males. Are there any questions?"

No one answered.

"I'll take that as a no," Raidon stated. "Mr. Uzumaki, Ms. Hyuuga, please do us the pleasure of passing out six kunai and one spool of wire for each student. Give me the remainder. Don't worry, I'll reimburse you after we reach Mamoru."

The task was completed in a matter of minutes, the students now stuffing the rusted blades into belts, pockets, and any impromptu clothing they could find. "All of you now have seven kunai, fifty meters of twine, a map, box of matches, and twenty meters of steel wire," Raidon declared. "Return everything else, grab your last meal, and meet me back here at the gate in fifteen minutes."

The students collectively groaned, and complied. Hinata, unsure of where to go, turned to her partner, Naruto. She still could not believe her luck, paired with this boy, this interest of hers since the beginning of their days at the academy. Unfortunately, other thoughts interrupted her joy. Who was this Hyuuga? He was certainly not part of the main house, and to her knowledge, no Raidon existed in the branch house. She wanted to ask her father about it, but there was so little time before they left.

Numbly, Naruto started to walk away, tossing the empty cardboard boxes into the nearest garbage cans. The Hyuuga heiress trailed behind only temporarily, quickly gaining ground. "N-Naruto?" she asked. "Where... are we going?"

"Ramen," he answered. "Can I copy that map, Hinata?" the boy asked. The girl stammered for a moment, but handed him the rolled up paper.

It was only a three minute walk to Ichimaru's ramen stand. The old man behind the counter smiled, cheering the boy's arrival, until he saw the dejected looks on both his and the Hyuuga girl's faces. "Can't talk today," Uzumaki slumped into a stool, his body aching from the prior run. "Need to eat and run."

Ichimaru nodded, and nodded at Ayame. "I hear you're in the remedial-" he began, seeing both genin shake their heads. The children obviously didn't want to talk about it. "That bad?"

"Here you are," Ayame smiled cheerfully. "They were prepared earlier for some customers who cut and ran, but we've kept them piping hot." Uzumaki's hand trembled, setting the limited funds on the counter as he croaked out his regular thanks for the meal. After the first bite, Hinata nervously gripped the chopsticks, copying her partner's behavior.

Every once in a while, Ichimaru noticed the boy glance over to two pieces of paper, tracing the details from the bottom copy to the top layer. Feeling the eyes on him, Naruto just uttered, "Copying a map." As he traced the lines of the nearby rivers and unimproved trails, the blonde turned to Hinata. "Hinata, how are we supposed to carry all these kunai on us?"

The Hyuuga heiress jolted in her seat, looking down at the bulging, tearing pockets of her coat. The blades had started to cut into her clothing. Without sheaths or proper pouches, it would be unbearable to keep up with the jounin's pace, as they had observed before. 'If I just had a needle and thread-" the girl started to think, studying her coat. "N-Naruto," she said. "Take out your kunai."

When Uzumaki set the implements down on the counter beside his ramen bowl, Hyuuga set to work, threading some of her twine through the eyelets of the hilts. Then, tying the small segment of twine into a loop, the seven kunai hung neatly in a pile. In another minute, she had completed the task with her set. "Now, take the twine, and make another loop, this time, as long as your forearm."

"Huh?" the boy asked.

"Trust me," Hinata pleaded. As the boy complied, he watched the girl thread the larger twine loop through the small bundle of kunai. With an improvised slip knot, the twine bandoleer of kunai slipped over her shoulder with ease. "See?" she asked.

Naruto smiled. "That's cool!" he declared. "You're really smart, Hinata!"

In another three minutes, the pair had eaten, and thanked the pair manning the booth for the food before rushing back to the western gate. Hinata's smile, Naruto was unaware, had grown. Perhaps, she considered, it wouldn't be so bad. The hot noodles replenishing her, and the company of her secret crush, she honestly believed she could survive ten of these courses. They had already made an impression, albeit not a wholly positive one, on the other genin. To top it off, with a little creativity, they had solved how to carry the kunai on them with only the clothes on their backs.

That is, she believed that until a small banner was found above the western gate, the other students gathered around it, staring in disbelief. In bold characters, it simply read: CHANGE OF PLANS: RENDEZVOUS AT WAYPOINT ONE IN FIFTY MINUTES.

"They... left us..." one student groaned.

"It's getting dark," another one whimpered.

"Then we just have to move quickly," Naruto answered, turning to Hinata, who nodded with determination burning in her eyes.

--

Exhausted, Naruto slumped as he marched with Hinata beside him. The girl said little, except the occasional correction in their heading. Land navigation, he determined, was definitely a weakness he would have to perfect. The Hyuuga heiress had already pulled him from making several wrong turns along the forks of the twisted, rutted trails through Fire Country's least used paths. The pair of boys ahead of them were the fastest, with at least a three minute lead. The remaining two pairs trailed behind them, following pieces of twine Hinata cut, tying to the branches of nearby trees. She hoped the instructors would be waiting for them ahead. Occasionally, much to the surprise of Uzumaki, she would activate her Byakugan, scanning the trails ahead.

"Wha-" the boy started. "What is that?"

Hinata's eyes eased, the veins retracting under the skin as she turned to face her partner. "Y-you mean the Byakugan?" she asked nervously. The girl's index fingers somehow found their way in the dark, jabbing at each other in a nervous tick. "It's... a bloodline limit... part of the Hyuuga family."

"Is that why your eyes are that... what is it?" Naruto paused, trying to find the right word. "Lavender, isn't it? That's the color, right?"

Hinata couldn't help but keep the blush from her face as she nodded. No one else had noticed her eyes had taken on a different hue than those of her father, her sister, and her cousins in the branch family. Everyone simply described her eyes as silver, as was the assumption every Hyuuga fell under.

"What does this Bya-, umm... Byaku-"

"The Byakugan means I can see everything around me," Hinata described the trait so blandly. It was the usual explanation she had to use to all the academy students asking why her eyes were "so weird." But she wanted Naruto to understand. "I can even see through things."

"You mean... like... inside of things, like people?" When the girl nodded, Naruto smirked. "That must be cool!"

The Hyuuga heiress chose not to explain the several years of embarrassment she had when learning how to cope with the Byakugan's influence on her modesty amongst other people, particularly with how much she could see. Instead, she nervously returned to studying the map, pointing out their route to help her partner learn the layout of the land.

Even with her Byakugan, however, she did not notice the steel wire running across the trail only two meters ahead of her at ankle level. As the two crossed the line, jerking it from its resting place, the pair turned, hearing a rustling behind them. A large, presumably fallen tree tumbled in the distance. Naruto squealed first, feeling something heavy jerk on his leg, yanking him from his feet.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried, before a swift jerk knocked her from her feet as well.

As the two students dangled upside down, bobbing next to each other like baited fishing line, a dark figure stepped out quietly from the bushes. Goggles now over his eyes, Raidon sighed. "That's four who fell to the same trap," he grumbled, pointing to the two boys from last year's class, suspended just three meters to the new pair's left. "Booby trapping is lesson number two," he explained. "We'll debrief you at Waypoint One, assuming you can get free."

Naruto scowled, glancing at the twine bandoleer of kunai he had dropped to the ground. Hinata swung slightly back and forth to his side, her panicked mouth yawning open and shut like a fish out of water. "Hinata?" Naruto asked.

Hinata blushed. "U-umm... yes, Naruto?"

"Let's take a break."

--

End of Chapter II

--

Coments/questions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	3. Chapter III: Hunter's Moon

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter III:**

_"Naruto!" Hinata cried, before a swift jerk knocked her from her feet as well._

_As the two students dangled upside down, bobbing next to each other like baited fishing line, a dark figure stepped out quietly from the bushes. Goggles now over his eyes, Raidon sighed. "That's four who fell to the same trap," he grumbled, pointing to the two boys from last year's class, suspended just three meters to the new pair's left. "Booby trapping is lesson number two," he explained. "We'll debrief you at Waypoint One, assuming you can get free."_

_Naruto scowled, glancing at the twine bandoleer of kunai he had dropped to the ground. Hinata swung slightly back and forth to his side, her panicked mouth yawning open and shut like a fish out of water. "Hinata?" Naruto asked._

_Hinata blushed. "U-umm... yes, Naruto?"_

_"Let's take a break."_

--

Hinata was blushing, but not just due to the proximity of her crush. No, she realized. The blood pooling in her head from being suspended upside down was what gave her the reddened shade. Naruto was not fairing well, either, but he seemed to take it with annoyance rather than discomfort. He had stopped shouting curses at the jounin instructor minutes before, and was trying to formulate a plan.

"No kunai, no shuriken..." he grumbled, his arms folded tightly to his chest. His hands touched together for a moment, accidentally forming the beginning of a hand seal combination he had learned the day before. That was when it occurred to him. "Of course!" he shouted, almost in anger at how long it took to arrive at the solution.

"W-what is it, Naruto?" Hinata asked, the headache starting to throb painfully.

Uzumaki let a wild grin cross his face. "Do you want to see how I passed, Hinata?" The Hyuuga heiress was not particularly pleased with the answer, at least in the beginning. How could something from the academy save them here, trapped in the wild? That was what training with a jounin instructor was for. However, she nodded, her neck protesting from the surging cramp.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

--

Anko Mitarashi could not believe her eyes. Hiding from the newly appointed genin within the trees above them, the specialized jounin cursed at her task. She was entrusted to slow the students down as much as possible, giving Raidon enough time to prepare his little surprise up ahead. How did a lowly genin, the student in last place at the academy, manage to learn a jounin level technique? Even she could not achieve that technique, leaving her short-handed in her chosen list of useful jutsu to reach the one-thousand mark for full jounin status.

"Damn," she muttered under her breath, watching the five clones in action. Four picked up the fallen kunai from the twine belt loop on the ground, and began cutting the genin free. The fifth started running forward, searching for traps. From what she heard, only the most skilled jounin were able to form a handful of physical clones. Anko started mentally kicking herself for not reading through the dossiers of her students.

As Hinata was cut free, she thought the boobytrap might have caused brain damage. She was seeing double, no, more like triple. Three Naruto Uzumakis were standing beside her, each talking over the other one as they tried to argue with themselves. Could this have been an eleborate genjutsu? If it was, the effects were not dispelled by her Byakugan, which noticed all three had chakra patterns identical to her partner. She was even cut free by one of the illusions. How was that possible?

"Hinata?" all three shouted at once. "Are you alright?" They approached her slowly, each reaching out to steady her as one began to kneel, cutting her left ankle free from the snare. But Hinata could only blush brighter, her eyes darting skyward to avoid the growing blonde harem. Now there were four, no wait... five! There were five Narutos, all to herself!

"Not again!" she whimpered, recalling the dream the week before.

"HINATA!" they all shouted as her vision faded to black.

--

"Just as expected," Raidon grumbled, releasing his Byakugan. The blonde genin had performed just as he had predicted in that scenario. For the most part, the Hyuuga he was paired with could detect the traps. However, the wire and snares coated with the iron-rich clay soil found on the outskirts of Wind Country were not detected. It was as he found all those years ago on that deep cover mission.

Fortunately, neither the main house nor Cloud Country knew about his discovery.

As he closed his eyes, kneeling in the small foxhole dug only a half hour before, the former Hyuuga thought carefully about that specific pairing. The Fourth's child, and the failed Hyuuga heiress would compliment each other nicely, maybe too nicely. It would be a mistake not to consider the possible romantic interactions between the two, but he would make his position clear in the matter after the training.

The pair, he had to admit, were an excellent trump card against Hiashi and Hanabi, perhaps more effective than the other candidates. Still, he could use these students to turn the others. In the worst case scenario, he would simply have a few loyal to his objectives, which would be more than enough to meet his expectations.

More than enough, he considered, to start a war.

--

The four pairs of genin panted, stumbling into the clearing, the dark shadows parting with the trees. It was a full moon tonight, offering greater visibility than normal. In fact, it was much brighter than Hinata remembered through the rest of the year. It had no affect on her Byakugan, but listening in on what the others were saying, she suspected it was easier on their normal vision.

Hinata paused, frozen in place for a moment. She wondered what it was like to see like a normal person. She had heard how Sakura, Ino, and some of the other kunoichi described colors, shadows, light, and movement. Those were the days when she wished never to have been born with those trademark eyes. What color she could see was dyed in a constant bluish hue, tied to her chakra coils, and with the specialization of the Hyuuga nervous system, her vision was attuned to motion instead of clarity. That was another feature the main house had over their underdeveloped branch cousins, she considered. Unlike the branch members, the main house descendants were gifted with an evolved form of the Byakugan, in which the eyes could focus for sharper perception. The branch members, however, were clouded forever in a sea of primal, blurry sight.

"Hinata?" Naruto asked, startling the girl from her thoughts.

The girl looked up at the boy from her mindless stare into the ground, blushing. "U-umm, yes?" she replied.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He couldn't help but remember how the girl panicked, fainting when his clones tried to check her over for injuries. "You've been acting... really weird lately. Are you sure you didn't come down with something?"

Hinata blushed further, her fingertips prodded together in her usual gesture. How did this boy always manage to find the most awkward things to say to her? It was as though he had no social skills whatsoever. Perhaps, she considered, if they were to be paired, her experience with social formalities might help refine him. But then, would he still be the Naruto she was attracted to?

"Hinata?' Uzumaki asked again.

"Um-yes!" she declared. "Yes, I am fine." The blonde looked at her skeptically for a moment, squinting his eyes to study her closely. Hyuuga felt the hairs on her neck stand on end, wondering if this was what it felt like to be on the receiving end of the Hyuuga's gaze. Finally, as the boy turned his attention another way, the girl took a deep breath. It was going to be a bit more awkward than she had originally surmised.

The clearing had an odd effect on the students. The two pairs of male and female genin, holdbacks from the prior year, looked about angrily, waiting for some trace of their instructor's presence. "This is supposed to be the place!" a brunette girl barked, casting an accusing eye across her classmates. "Maybe you people screwed up."

"If you think we're wrong," the black-haired boy, her partner, replied, "maybe you should have navigated instead of insisting we follow everyone else's lead."

The pair of boys, one with brown hair, the other with darkly tinted red hair, glanced at each other. "These are the right coordinates," the brown-haired one said to the other.

"And how do you know that?" the first girl asked skeptically.

"Because all of the traps lead this way," the red-haired boy answered. "They weren't set up to capture us, for the most part." The girl looked at him confused. "They were meant to bait us."

Out of nowhere, a slight rustling in the branches above caught everyone's attention. The students went dead still, all eyes fixed on the treeline. Naruto's gaze shifted slightly, noticing a blur of motion from Hinata's hands. The seals formed, the Hyuuga heiress whispered as quietly as possible the technique name he was becoming accustomed to. "Byakugan!" she hissed. The traces of chakra were there along the steel wire, like fingerprints left behind on any inanimate object. But what were the wires connected to? Moving her eyes down slowly, she noticed the small paper tags, with hauntingly familiar characters written in black ink.

"It's-" she started to say, when a loud explosion at the base of the tree roared over her words. The blinding light and intense noise disoriented the genin instantly, several cringing as they were deadlocked in place. "Explosive tags!" Hinata repeated.

"It's a trap!" the brown-haired boy yelped, his red-haired companion following his lead as they bolted for the edge of the clearing behind them, hoping desperately to conceal themselves. They each managed to make it within two meters, before a large net of braided steel cable landed atop of them. Both boys glanced at each other, drawing a kunai in their hands.

The three other teams finally reacted, but not with the same objectives in mind. The brunette loudmouth started moving forward, towards the traps. "Come on!' she screamed, her ears still ringing, and vision still blinded. A kunai in each hand, held in a downward, ice-pick fashion, the girl leapt forward, right into the enemy's hands. Their vision obscured, the two remaining teams could only hear a loud gasp, and then a scream, the voice seeming to move further away, up the trees into the canopy above.

The silver-haired boy and a taller brunette girl of the last team stared at Hinata, who was pulling Naruto forward. Somehow, the pair realized, she knew what was going on. They didn't know why, but she knew, and that was all that mattered. Following Hinata's lead, the two teams veered off at the center of the clearing, dodging invisible obstacles, and keeping their eyes on the Hyuuga's footwork, managed to end up at a diagonal from their prior location. Again, like the other pairs, they were only meters from their destination, when they all heard Hinata gasp. A quick rustling was moving towards them, but they could not tell from where.

Hinata looked up just in time to see the moon into a sickeningly odd shade, a color she had never seen before. "H-how-?" she asked, stuttering. The tint of blue was gone now, replaced with a perception of the world in what she could only assume was the normal vision she had heard others speak about so often.

"Hinata!" Naruto called out, the kunai instantly in his hands as he leapt towards the girl. Why was she standing still, staring up at the sky like that? The sickening, twisted expression on her face was all he needed to see. Something was very wrong, and as her teammate, no, her friend, he had to do something.

"Don't, you idiot!" the silver-haired boy hollered. "It's a genjutsu technique!" The final pair of students shielded their eyes, and taking each other's hand, bolted towards the trail to their right. For a moment, just a moment, once they ducked behind the trees at the edge of the clearing, the two felt at ease. That was when the attack came, and a loud snapping sound above gave way to a low grunt from the last of the genin.

Hinata fell to her knees, her face buried in her hands. "Why?" she started to sob. The colors were growing brighter, more intense, causing a headache to build. It started off as a minor inconvenience, but the pain was starting to throb, her mind feeling like a bubbling pool of mud. That was when she felt something unexpected. Two arms, too small for their instructor or another assailant, wrapped around her shoulders, trying to shake her. While the pain continued to increase, she was losing all perception of reality. However, she could, for one last, brief moment, remember the touch of those hands in the trap before.

"Hinata!" Uzumaki cried. "Snap out of it! There's nothing here!"

"Na-ruto!" she cried, head shaking violently left to right. "I-it hurts!" The heiress tried pressing her palms against her temples, but the feeling of her skull imploding would not stop.

"Do you want it to stop, Mr. Uzumaki?" a cold voice reverberated through the boy's bones. Naruto instantly looked skyward, a shadow moving across the ground catching his eye. However, his gaze averted towards the open air of the clearing, there was nothing but a mist which started sweeping in from all around them.

"What do you mean?" Naruto yelled in frustration, holding his kunai at eye level. "Of course I do! You're hurting her!" A sudden movement to his left caught his eye. Uzumaki wanted to engage, but as he took a small step forward, he paused. Hinata was still screaming, the tears rolling from her eyes, and her hands pounding at her skull desperately. He could not leave her, not in this condition. He took a step back, and hesitantly tucked the kunai into the girl's coat pockets.

Hinata was beyond perceiving anything more than her own screams when the boy threw her left arm over his shoulder, his right wrapped supportively around her back. "We're getting out of here, Hinata!" he breathed. The village, he remembered, was quite a distance, and he couldn't recall which direction that had been in. Pulling his butchered attempt at a copied map from the inside of his jumpsuit, he stared at the sketch, trying to grasp their position and the heading which they were to take.

"You're leaving?" the voice boomed again, shaking every fiber of the boy's being. The sound was hauntingly felt instead of heard. "Do you honestly think you can make it?"

Naruto shook his head, and took a step forward. "It's okay, Hinata," he tried to reassure her. "Help's coming."

"What help would that be?" the voice echoed one last time. A snapping sound was heard once again, but this time, Naruto did not search for it. It was right behind him. The sound of screaming faded, and stopped. Uzumaki only had time to look over his shoulder, watching Hinata's face relax into her usual blank expression, and her head slump forward.

Raidon Hyuuga removed his outstretched hand from the girl's head, and with a kunai drawn at the blonde's throat, said "Welcome to Waypoint One."

--

None of the students spoke as they huddled around the impromptu fire pit, the flames hidden at the bottom of the meter-deep hole. The warmth, like the smoke, formed a narrow column dispersed only by the framework of twigs and blanket tossed over the hole. As the fog rolled into the clearing, the smoke mixed with it, camouflaged to avoid the students' detection, and spread the warmth amongst them. Still, they could only feel cold.

"You made some rather foolish decisions," Raidon stated, wincing as he passed the needle and thread through the open wound in his leg. "But for freshly appointed genin, you did quite well." He glanced again across the students. Every pairing was on the opposite side of the campfire, glaring at him, or simply avoiding eye contact. Uzumaki was particularly upset, the unconscious Hyuuga slumped over the boy's shoulder. She still had yet to wake from the genjutsu. Perhaps, he considered, that technique was too much for her, or for any Hyuuga.

"Are you _INSANE?_" the brunette lashed out.

"You could have killed us!" the silver-haired boy added, his partner nodding in agreement.

"We didn't even learn anything yet!" Naruto stated.

That last comment, Raidon grumbled mentally, had to be cleared up. That was the only lie spoken in the slew of accusations thrown so easily about the warmth of the fire. In a fraction of a second, the hand seals formed, the jounin extinguished the fire with a simple wind element technique. "You did learn something, and you are about to learn another lesson," he stated calmly.

"And what are they?" Uzumaki shouted.

"First," Raidon explained, "you learned the anguish of defeat." He glanced about the students through the golden optics of his opaque goggles. "You were completely unprepared for what I threw at you, and despite your best efforts, you were never going to succeed. A shinobi will eventually run into this stumbling block, so it's better to experience it now, and learn to overcome it."

"And secondly?" the brunette asked. Really, the jounin started to think, this kid was a hopeless case just getting on his nerves. If she wasn't so foolish as to jump into a snare trap laced with hallucinogens, maybe she would be a little more receptive.

"Secondly," Raidon answered, pointing at the now dark fire pit. "You just learned that every action has consequences." Raidon indicated to each student, counting them verbally. "Mr. Uzumaki, since Ms. Hyuuga is still incapacitated at the moment, you will have to dig a shelter for two. Everyone grab your kunai. I expect to see a proper fox hole in time for our next lesson in two hours."

"Next lesson?" the brunette girl whined. "It's one o'clock in the morning!"

With that, Raidon walked over to the girl, and held out his hand. "Kunai," he stated simply. She handed over one. "No," he complained. "_All_ of them." She foolishly gave away her full set of seven, the man examining them cautiously to ensure they were not substituted copies. "Now dig!"

--

The brunette girl, Naruto observed, cradled her raw hands tenderly. He had lent her one of his kunai only a few minutes after they started digging, but the work was hard. The soil they encountered was littered with rocks. He didn't understand, though, with all the pain, why he had so easily outlasted the others. The jounin, Instructor Hyuuga, had mentioned something about his stamina, but he couldn't put his finger on it. However, the foxhole for both he and his teammate was completed.

Uzumaki watched the sleeping Hyuuga heiress, and frowned. He hoped the genjutsu didn't have any long term effects. It was over an hour since they had been ordered to dig, and the girl still slept. Still, he would not leave her. She was his partner, and if anything, Naruto Uzumaki was loyal.

Fortunately, he did not have to wait too much longer, as the rapid motion of Hinata's eyes changed to a slow, blinking motion. She didn't say much at first, but rather turned her head slowly from side to side. Everything, to her comfort, was back to it's usual blue shade. Then she noticed the unusual circumstances she was in; lying in a large hole in the ground.

"N-Naruto?" she asked, seeing a blur of lighter colors towering over her. Uzumaki shifted from his position looking over the edge of the foxhole, now leaning over the girl, helping her to sit up. The heiress let out a muffled groan, rubbing at the back of her head.

"Hinata?" Naruto whispered, leaning in close. The girl closed her eyes, still exhausted from the effects of that... technique. She shook her head again, trying to clear her memories of the event. The sounds, smells, and particularly the sights were all disturbing to say the least. It was... difficult trying to cope with the experience. "Hinata, are you okay?"

Hinata started to nod instinctively, adding a faint smile. However, her eyes blinking open for a second, she saw the frown plastered across her partner's face. Her nod changed to a shaking motion, her smile replaced by a frown. Naruto started to notice her eyelids begin to twitch. "I-I," she started, before choking up.

"I should have done more," Uzumaki blurted out, glancing at the ground. "Some partner... You got paired with Dead Last."

That statement, Hinata found, was the last straw. A Hyuuga was supposed to be strong, strong enough to support their entire team in the worst of scenarios. She was the one who failed, not him. She was clearly the one who could detect the dangers, and she was supposed to be able to see through genjutsu techniques. "I-I... I was the failure, Naruto," she explained, tears starting to roll down her cheeks. "I... if I were faster-"

It was a strange impulse, but Uzumaki had no other idea what to do. He also found sticking to his instincts was the best strategy when he encountered strange, unusual circumstances. his instincts, in this case, were to hold the girl's hand, and relate to her how the jounin instructors commented on their results. "We, I mean, you, were incredible, Hinata," Naruto smiled. "You helped me with that map, you saw all those traps on the way here, and then you led us when no one else knew what to do!"

The pair heard shuffling and scraping to the right of them. The loose top soil rolled down in small grains over the edge of their foxhole, to reveal the silver-haired boy and the taller of the brunette girls. "You are Hinata Hyuuga?" the boy asked. When she nodded, the boy smiled wider. "I'm Shima, and this is Hiroko. We were the ones that were following you-"

"And were snared by the first of the traps," Hiroko added, an embarrassed smile and blush crossing her face. "You were just... incredible! How did you learn to do all of this stuff?" When she saw Hinata stuttering, trying to put her words together, the brunette just smiled. "Please, can you teach us some of those techniques you used for spotting traps?"

Watching the Hyuuga heiress start to gather her thoughts, and regain her composure, Naruto's frown lessened. She seemed okay, and he was thankful for that. In the back of his mind, though, Uzumaki swore he would become stronger. If he could be so easily defeated when their instructor was playing with kid gloves, how would he fight back against serious opponents who truly meant harm to the other genin in his future team? If Hinata was so easily defeated, and she seemed one of the strongest here, he had a long way to go before he could be considered a genin.

His critical thoughts were cut short when he felt the gentle pressure of Hinata's hand squeeze his own.

--

The next meeting at 0100 hours was less tense than before, but not by much. "To begin our debriefing," Raidon started, "it has come to my attention some of you have not been trained in defeating genjutsu techniques."

"That makes all of us, Sir," the red-headed boy known as Dai commented. "They were rather vague at the academy."

The students quickly realized in the last few hours, even with the opaque goggles, when the jounin was glaring at them. It didn't take a genin to detect a killing intent. "Alright," he grumbled. "In that case, Mr. Watanabe, we will integrate both genjutsu and anti-genjutsu training into our regimen once we reach Mamoru. For now, though, we are focusing on survival, evasion, and basic land nav." Taking a deep breath, Hyuuga relaxed his tone. "How many of you noticed how bright the evening was?"

A number of hands rose, including that of a timid, but informative heiress. "The moon," Hinata commented, "was out much earlier than normal."

"Exactly," Raidon nodded. As the group huddled around the camouflaged fire pit, the jounin started drawing an oval surrounding a circle in the soft earth with a stick. "When the Earth orbits the sun, it's path is not always level. There is an unusual tilt that occurs only during the autumn season, particularly during the equinox. When that happens, the moon is exposed earlier in its orbit around the Earth, meaning we see it's reflected light earlier in the night."

The students nodded. "Is this was is meant by the Hunter's Moon?" the brown-haired boy asked.

"Yes, that is what it is called," Hyuuga replied. "It is also known in farming communities as the Harvest Moon. It was given these names because hunters and farmers could use the added evening light to finish hunting or bringing in the autumn harvest. Now, although we set out far later than I anticipated, why do you think I picked this particular clearing as an ambush?"

When no students spoke or raised their hands, Anko stepped forward. "How well could you see tonight?" she asked simply. Mentally, the specialized jounin was kicking herself. Why did she have to speak in such dumbed-down, entertaining teacher methods? It was so much easier to bark at them. As far as she knew, this no-name ANBU, with the Third's blessing, had given her a chance to work towards a full jounin rank. But when she gladly took the offer, she didn't think she would have to play babysitter to a bunch of whiners. 'I mean,' she thought, 'they practically leapt into the boobytraps for us!'

"During the Hunter's Moon," Raidon explained, "we shinobi are at our most vulnerable." He watched the eyes of the genin widen. "We rely on stealth above all else to complete our tasks. Assassination, destroying all traces of our existence, these are all secondary actions which must be taken if we allow ourselves to be detected in the first place. Therefore, during this time of the year, you have probably noticed a significant drop in the number of high-risk shinobi missions your parents or neighbors undertake. You have just learned why I chose this particular night, and this particular clearing. I didn't even need any specialized technique to see you coming a kilometer away,"

Naruto scowled. He recalled several incidents when pranks he undertook occurred around this time of the year, and most of them resulted in immediate capture. "Then how are we supposed to be invisible when this 'Hunter's Moon' is happening?"

"I've just shown you two methods to avoid detection while on station," the jounin answered. "The campfire, we disguised with the fog, which naturally occurs in this region during cold autumn nights. While a fire cannot always be disguised, you can use hollowed out trees as chimneys to keep the smoke and light from giving away your position on the ground. However, sometimes you have to give up on a fire completely. Remember, stealth is more important than creature comforts."

"And the other technique?" Dai asked.

"You just dug them out of the ground," Anko muttered, rolling her eyes.

"The foxholes offer cover against shuriken, and protect you from the line of sight of an approaching enemy," Raidon explained. "You can also achieve the same effect with m. Mitarashi's preferred method: camping in the trees themselves."

"Are you serious, Sir?" Hiroko asked. "We... we can't even climb trees with just our chakra yet."

"That will come with time," Hyuuga retorted. "For now, remember, this is a preparatory course." Suddenly, the jounin glanced down at his watch just in time to stop the alarm after the first chime. "For now, we need to regain our strength. I expect lights out in fifteen minutes." As the students dispersed to their assigned foxholes, the jounin gestured with a nod towards Hinata.

"Ms. Hyuuga," Anko sighed. "Come with me."

--

End of Chapter III

--

Coments/questions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	4. Chapter IV: Visual Purple

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter IV:**

_"The foxholes offer cover against shuriken, and protect you from the line of sight of an approaching enemy," Raidon explained. "You can also achieve the same effect with Ms. Mitarashi's preferred method: camping in the trees themselves."_

_"Are you serious, Sir?" Hiroko asked. "We... we can't even climb trees with just our chakra yet."_

_"That will come with time," Hyuuga retorted. "For now, remember, this is a preparatory course." Suddenly, the jounin glanced down at his watch just in time to stop the alarm after the first chime. "For now, we need to regain our strength. I expect lights out in fifteen minutes." As the students dispersed to their assigned foxholes, the jounin gestured with a nod towards Hinata._

_"Ms. Hyuuga," Anko sighed. "Come with me."_

------------------

Hinata didn't know what to think as Anko talked to her in whispers around the fire while the others slept. Her other instructor, the Hyuuga branch member, was absent from their conversation. "You're fortunate that Uzumaki brat tried to pull you out of the clearing," Mitarashi sighed. "Do you know how much damage that genjutsu could do to you?"

"B-but," Hinata began, "the Hyuugas are supposed to be immune to all forms of genjutsu."

"Some," Anko explained. "The others... it would be best if you avoided." She sighed, watching her student creep slowly backward. "You're a natural leader, and we like that. The problem is, leaders know when to duck."

Hinata didn't know how to react to that statement. "May I ask a question?"

"You forgot to say 'ma'am'!" Anko grumbled in a mocking tone. Hinata shuddered for a moment, but Mitarashi simply laughed off her joke. The Hyuuga heiress apparently didn't know how to take a joke. "Seriously, I don't get that whole stuck up way of talking. We're here to teach you how to fight and survive. If you have a question, you should just come out and say it."

"Why is Mr. Hyuuga-" Hinata started, before Anko eyed her curiously. "Why is... Raidon... so interested in defeating the Byakugan?" When no answer was provided, Anko instead taking a swig from a canteen, Hinata pressed the question further. "He _is_ a Hyuuga, isn't he? Why would he want to find ways to defeat his own advantage?"

"The same reason a genjutsu user learns how to disable genjutsu attacks," Anko simply answered. Really, she wouldn't go further than that. She knew family ties in some bloodline limit clans were strained, but nowhere except the Hyuuga clan could an argument degrade into murder. The family secrets had to be protected, after all, and medic nins were becoming very popular hires as of late.

"It's expected of everyone, especially that ambidextrous loudmouth, Makiko," Anko sighed, remembering she had to have a short conversation with the brunette about leaving everyone to die while she charged blindly into danger. Hinata let out an embarrassed laugh. She didn't want to make fun of her teammates, but found that best summed up the big shot perfectly. "I swear, that girl will get her glory one day... being the only Konoha genin to proudly die before her first mission." Looking back from the suppressed flames to Hyuuga, Anko let a sour grin cross her face. "So, are we done with this pep talk?"

Hinata nodded, rising slowly to her feet.

"Oh, one last thing," Anko added, her voice muffled behind her hand. "Don't get any ideas with that Naruto tonight. Contrary to popular belief, Jyuuken strikes don't enlarge a man's-"

Hinata bolted away in shame long before Anko had the chance to laugh.

------------------

Naruto glanced at Hinata, cracking his eyes open slowly. While he wanted to sleep soundly, the talk Instructor Hyuuga had given about stealth and being alert stuck with him. Or, he thought, perhaps it was the severe beating all of them took. It was so easy for the jounin to set them up, because they blindly stumbled into everything he led them to like mindless lemmings. Just when Hinata had managed to pinpoint all of the traps, Raidon had disabled her, taking away their only chance at making it out. Though he had to wonder, was he deliberately targeting some students, and not others?

Then he would just have to stick to his partner, and carry out his duty.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked, stepping quietly into the foxhole. Uzumaki nodded in acknowledgment, a sarcastic smile spreading on his face. "Is something wrong?"

"Dead Last in the academy," Naruto smirked, before a serious expression set in. "Extenuating circumstances or not, I have to be better."

Hinata shook her head. "I-I was to blame," she stuttered, looking down at the freshly dug soil. "If I didn't look into that genjutsu-" Then the words from Anko popped into her head. She recalled how her jounin instructors had set them up from the beginning. "Naruto?" she asked. "How did you avoid the genjutsu?"

"I don't know, I just... didn't look," he answered.

Hinata averted her eyes, keeping them to the ground. "This... isn't like I had e-expected it to be." She cringed. "I-I don't know if I can make it."

Uzumaki stared, his eyes set firm. "Don't give up yet."

"Naruto?" she said, feeling a sudden cloak of shame engulf her.

"We have to be tougher than them," Uzumaki indicated to the instructors, now taking their places in the foxholes and trees, respectively. Holding out his right fist, the boy continued. "I don't give up. That is my promise, my way of life." He looked at her intently, his smile growing. "You with me?"

Hinata cracked a faint smile, her right hand twitching slightly as her fist made a soft contact with his. "Yes," she stuttered. "I-I will not stop."

It was then Hinata noticed her partner shiver at the cold. She looked around, poking her head out from the foxhole. The others, she noted, were asleep. Even Shima and Hiroko were curled up, lying back to back with kunai in their hands. They had already surpassed the childish notion of sexual tension in survival situations, or perhaps they just didn't have an interest in each other. As her face reddened further, she looked over at Naruto. His orange jacket was thin, and while waterproof, what he needed was insulation. Watching him twitching occasionally at the sting of the night air, she could not tolerate it any longer.

"Come here, Naruto," she requested, her voice trembling at the sound of the command. Naruto blinked for a moment, watching Hinata's reaction, but agreed. "Lean against me, and take off your jacket."

"What?" Naruto asked.

"Y-you're my partner... right?" she asked, trying to keep the explanation short. As the boy nodded, he gave in, understanding the point. Whatever was going on, he would trust the heiress' judgment. He sat cross-legged on the ground, unzipping his jacket, and tossing it into his lap. Suddenly he felt Hinata's back against him, the girl mirroring his actions. "Give me your jacket," she asked again. After complying, he watched over his shoulder as the girl used the zippers of both their coats to join them on one side, leaving the other free in the event they had to react fast. Handing the boy the orange end of their combined field "blanket", the girl started to fold the arms of her coat in to retain her body heat.

Uzumaki again followed her directions. It wasn't until five minutes later, the warmth of the two of them pooling against their spines, that he decided to say something. "This is a great idea, Hina-" He stopped in mid sentence, feeling the girl's head slump back into his right shoulder. As the warmth between them grew, Naruto could only smile, watching his partner relax, spare the brilliant red blush across her face. He was beginning to reevaluate his impression of the girl during their academy days.

She was always coming off as this weird introvert, almost as creepy as Sasuke. But in the last few hours, he started to find he couldn't imagine training without her. She was a unique spark in Fire Country that was the only one who took him seriously. It dawned on him how the genin teams could have turned out. With his eyes turning back to the edge of the foxhole, his head began to slump backward. As if drawn by fate, his limp form leaned gently against the girl, his head set against hers.

------------------

"Think you were too hard on them?" Anko practically barked. She watched the silhouette of Raidon from her vantage point in the treeline. He was lying on his back, buried in a mesh of camouflage, his goggles forever shielding his heritage. His body lay motionless, the perfect example of the single shinobi creed: patience.

"You're not going to say anything, are you?" Mitarashi grumbled. "Of course not, you're the Fox of Konoha." If she could see the faint, predatory grin which slipped past her leader's mask, she made no sign. "Those who can't keep up get left behind, right?"

"Those who talk too much get taken out," he grumbled quietly. Hyuuga's hands clenched tightly against the kunai in each hand, his arms wrapped over his chest like a corpse.

Anko hissed, and returned to her regular scan of the horizon as Raidon let his subconscious slip to the surface.

------------------

"He's supposed to be dead!" one of Hiashi's uncles barked. "The seal should have killed him!" Hiashi watched his brother rub silently at the seal covered under his forehead badge silently. The two jounin stood beside their father in the council chambers, awaiting the news of their cousin. Hizashi hated what happened to their cousin, but understood the necessity for it. Fudo had proven that need. But without questioning Raidon directly, the incident could never be resolved.

"The fact the seal did not kill him presents a problem," the twins' father declared. "We demand he is handed over immediately, and properly questioned."

"I forbid it," the Hokage declared. "The matter of Fudo's treachery has been concluded, and Raidon still requires time to recover."

"It is not like he will have much time to enjoy his health," a member of the council friendly to the Hyuuga clan suggested.

"He is not going to be executed simply for surviving a failed seal technique," the Third argued. "He is personally responsible for correcting his brother's mistake and protecting the village. You will not kill a man for fulfilling his duty."

"The fact remains, you cannot deny handing him over," the head of the main house retorted. "We as his kin have that right."

"I would disagree," a voice echoed through the council chambers. As several members of the group triggered their bloodline limit, the Hokage simply grinned, wondering how long it would take for the clan to realize it was hopeless. Hizashi recognized the exaggerated growl instantly. "I don't represent the clan any longer."

"You're still one man," the head of the main house declared. "What can one man do?"

"Then I won't be a man," the voice echoed behind the Hokage. As the door to the chambers slammed closed, the assembly was left in darkness.

------------------

Naruto awoke to the cold of the open field. His body shivered, his hands stinging as the early fall chill sank into his flesh. Then he noticed the quiet. It was unlike the village, with it's constant daily activity. He shifted uncomfortably to one side, and struggled out of the combined pair of jackets. His actions were rough, uncivilized, and unaccustomed to his surroundings.

As he searched the field, his eyes peering just over the edge of the foxhole, he observed several birds chirping, looking back at him cautiously. As he stared out at the field, he remembered the previous night, unsure of what lay ahead. Suddenly, his head jerked to the other side. Dai was awake, studying the world about him much like Uzumaki. Tapping at Hinata's shoulder, he forced his partner awake.

"N-Naruto?" she asked. Once her eyes flickered slowly open, her body seized, the biting cold snapping at her much like the others. Still, she held her place, remembering the attacks from before. With steady, barely perceptible motion, her head raised above the foxhole. Triggering her bloodline limit, she could see everything. The ground near the night's campfire was recently disturbed, footprints left behind by the trespassers. She looked up at Naruto, and then back to the others. "It's clear," she whispered.

The class rose like silent ghouls creeping from their graves towards the untouched earth. Each step was an exhausting force of will, testing the solidity of the world. Each forced their ears to listen, and bodies to feel as their skin itched with sensitivity. Their breaths were fast and shallow as Makiko was the first to the fire pit. Kneeling to the ground, she saw the dying embers, and traces of their masters' signs.

Ken pointed towards the north of the field, the others nodding as their march began for Waypoint Two.

------------------

The rain had started only minutes before the bell test was complete. Kakashi sighed, watching the three genin he was assigned struggling against the rope which bound all three to the erected post in the center of the training field. It had ended almost as soon as it had begun. Sakura had been the first to fall, the clone of Uchiha working far better than he had anticipated. Really, the jounin had thought, how could a genin actually believe he would injure them that severely on purpose?

The next to go was Uchiha himself. It had been drawn out, alright, but there was only so much a genin could do against a jounin, even when he was playing with kid gloves. He had to admit, Sasuke's techniques were well honed, but the brat had no concept of when to retreat. He was always pushing forward, unable to think of anything but charging on with blind rage. A simple substitution technique, and the prodigy was out of the game.

The surprise was the fill-in for Uzumaki. With the reshuffling of the groups at the last minute, he hadn't expected to take on one of the holdbacks from last year's class. Nevertheless, this boy seemed to prove himself useful, to an extent. The simplistic snares set about the perimeter of the training grounds was an amusing distraction, his substitutions dangling at shoulder height above the ground. Even the occasional kunai tossed his direction hadn't been anything too serious.

The real zinger had been the crudely fashioned smoke bomb. Kakashi couldn't believe someone had allowed their child, especially someone who failed to make it through the academy their first time, to play with explosives. Apparently the boy's fingers were all intact, so he was either lucky, or downright skilled in mixing Ingredient A with Catalyst B. It wasn't anything more powerful than a single explosive tag encased in a porous clay shell filled with a collection of smoldering agents.

The problem was the fact this student of his had buried his little project inconspicuously in the center of the field.

Rubbing at the back of his head, Hatake wondered how he was going to explain the four wounded chuunin, and the missing fur on that dreaded missing house cat to the Hokage.

------------------

The rain storm had strengthened as Team Eight finished their warm up for the basic taijutsu training. That hadn't stopped Kurenai, of course, and although the Aburame kid had complained how his "companions" did not like water,

the lessons had to continue. The other two had no qualms after retreating to a forested area to block most of the rain. Taijutsu was only useful if it could be applied anywhere, Yuuhi explained to them, especially in tight corners.

------------------

The occasional lightning strike startled the occupants of the restaurant, but the shelter and comfortable fire burning in the hearth of the structure shielded all from the outside world. Asuma sat and watched his students. Shikamaru picked lazily at the thin cuts of meat, vegetables, and rice. Ino was cautious with her intake, restricting her calories to a calculated balance of nutrients, though he could tell it had nothing to do with fitness. Then there was Choji, who simply devoured anything in front of him. He looked outside, noticing first Kakashi, then Kuernai walk past the window of their table. Neither of them looked satisfied.

He shook his head, wondering at the moment what that psychopath ANBU was thinking, dragging his students out of the village's protection during a storm.

------------------

Raidon crouched down on the summit of the jagged rocks, the only object perched within several hundred meters of anything vertical as the thunder roared overhead. Anko had not ventured out this far, choosing to remain in the protection of the thinning woods a kilometer away. She made a point earlier on about the quantity of metal a typical shinobi wears and altitude not meshing well with the weather. It was not like he cared, however. As she had so bluntly put it in the darkness of the early morning, he was the Fox of Konoha. At least it was better than his former identity.

Glancing up occasionally into the sky, the rain flung itself into his face, trying to force its way through his pores. It scraped at his flesh without remorse, but he did not care. The pain of the cold, the wind, and the lack of nourishment was a ritual of his. He would teach his students the same ritual, forcing them to dance on a knife's edge of their physical limits.

Makiko was stubborn in violence, but apparently not stubborn enough. He noticed Itou several kilometers away wearing down, slumping into a ragged shiver as she stumbled along the trail. Akira was still beside her, regardless of the previous hell she had put him through. At least the training pairs were holding strong.

Dai and Ken were pacing themselves, being smart about it. Too smart, he considered. He wondered if they would be so calculating when they made it into their three man cells. Hyuuga knew a smaller pond would not hold the likes of them for very long, at least not without a few casualties. When there wasn't enough game, they would eventually turn

on each other, their strategies working against the team they had formed so efficiently to handle the existing threat.

He would have to talk to Danzo about those two.

No, the only four which would make any sense in a conventional three-man cell were the four who led the pack. His supposed relative was starting to find her footing. The next few days would take care of any emotional shortcomings. She would either adapt or die, and from his initial observations, her partner would never allow the latter to happen. Shima was also a leader, but silent, and resourceful. He didn't think the silver-haired boy ever spoke a single word, but Hiroko seemed to understand him just fine. She, like Naruto, was obviously the muscle of that pair.

It would be those four he would rely on for his plans to unfold. Staring now into the unyielding storm, Raidon Hyuuga clenched his teeth, and coldly tabulated the probability of success as he pictured the shock on Hiashi's face the night he was dragged back alive on the stretcher. Yes, Hyuuga thought, that is what he would see again.

------------------

"Routine," Hiroko said a long time ago. That was the description of their journey to this village that might not exist by the time they arrived. Each day was just another push through a fraction of their death march, edging maybe a pencil-point closer on their maps. There was no change, they noted, to the scenery. They had no way of knowing they were getting any closer. They only knew what Raidon had told them, that the village was awaiting them.

But they were beyond feeling now, a week into their assigned duties. They had been told by Mitarashi, as no one ever dared refer to her as Anko, how their training exceeded that of a normal regimen. Yet, there were no numbers. There were never any numbers. No one would ever be caught saying "Just another 300 klicks to M," or "Only two rabbits to feed the unit for the next four days." Those were kept to themselves. The only thing they shared to each other were two words: "Safe," or "Down."

They were devoid of any references, and that, Naruto first realized, was the reason they were on the verge of madness.

Hinata was always two steps behind him, as he was on point. Makiko had been pulled to rear guard duty, more by Akira's suggestion than anyone else's. Perhaps over the march, his greater rate of being snared in traps led to this arrangement. Dai and Ken were always in the middle, fighting for themselves. They would wait for the others to encounter the obstacles ahead, sit, observe, then come up with some ingenious solution. They would occasionally free those ahead of them only when the odds favored it.

Shima and Hiroko, however, were wholly different. With those two close on their heels, Hinata enjoyed the knowledge something couldn't sneak up on them that she might have missed. Naruto preferred having the additional protection, but there was something else.

The groups had originally tried to race towards their next waypoint after the night's rest. When that happened, everyone would be split up, leaving long gaps between the pairs. The last night they had tried that approach, Raidon found the genin huddled together. No one said a word.

Out of the entire group, Hiroko served as their scribe. Her parents were skilled engravers and blacksmiths, covering the wide spectrum of fine precision to harsh clanging of metal ores. It was Hiroko who first suggested the technique, carving obscure signals into the trees, the rocks, or the ground itself. After a short time, however, the marks were made only in the soft dirt next to a rock. Kobayashi would instinctively erase the marks, leaving no trace behind.

If they had noticed the lessons became tougher, they had not voiced it. Anko simply watched as the students fell into a weary routine of following Raidon's orders exactly. Whatever spirit was left after the first night had been broken, and replaced with quiet observation. Even Itou had given up her suicidal charges into the unknown. Mitarashi was becoming bored.

As the group closed in on Waypoint Six on that respective evening, Naruto outstretched his arm. The others instantly fell back, crouching against foliage, boulders, and scattered trees along the thinning forest of the hillside. They were exposed now to a wide open field. Living in Fire Country, all they could see from the village walls was forest. This, each genin breathed with fear, was new.

Hinata stared out into the expanse, her seal technique bringing the Byakugan to full strength. There was a single wagon drawn by two horses along a dusty trail leading into the dead plains, but that was all. There were no traps, no ambush points, nothing.

That was what frightened them the most.

Makiko moved towards Uzumaki, and tugged on his right sleeve. Turning towards the girl, Naruto followed her finger pointing skyward. Hinata wanted to follow her partner's gaze, but knew her duty, and continued to sweep the horizon. As Naruto glimpsed into the night, a smile crept across his face. "New moon," he uttered.

In seconds, the genin were on the move.

------------------

Anko stared out into the darkness from the wagon, wondering how long her students would lie in wait. It was becoming dull. Furthermore, the merchant driving the wagon kept mentally undressing her, his leering stares distracting her focus. This, she surmised, was why she was the adjunct instructor.

It was then her light adjusted eyes caught the dark silhouettes slowly creeping down the hillside, right on schedule.

Several meters off to her right, Raidon crouched against a formation of boulders, lathered from head to toe in that precious clay soil of his. Anko sighed. Just thinking about how ridiculous he was made her head spin. All the genjutsu and ninjutsu training of a jounin, and here he was, crouching behind rocks covered in war paint like a little kid. All to beat that bloodline limit, she thought.

When he asked her to try some of the mud, she received an odd stare for refusing.

------------------

Mamoru was a village out of time, in many difference senses. Border villages often have a certain feel to them, not unlike a relic of the past. From the constant clan wars, to the great ninja village war which came to rest only little more than a decade ago, those who lived along the borders had little to work with during the reconstruction. When the trade routes weren't restricted, maybe a newer model plow, or better hand tools would occasionally filter through to these remnants of the frontier. For the most part, however, as the world grew, these border villages shared the everlasting bond of obsolescence.

As the single wagon approached the village's main gate, Mamoru's people stared out into the black, and wondered why it had come to this. Outsiders, they thought. Those wretched shinobi from Fire Country would be here shortly, training with what fragment of Wind's military was left behind to guard the border. It was a horrible thought, putting their lives in the hands of the enemy. But that discussion had passed long ago. The stranger in black had convinced them it was the best course of action.

If he could make the regular bandit raids stop, then so be it, former enemies or no.

The children of the village watched as a strangely dressed woman in a trenchcoat leapt out of the wagon. "Close the gate," Anko ordered. The guards along the three meter reinforced wall ignored her commands at first. That is, they ignored her until she handed them the scroll Raidon had given her.

One of the border guards walked up to her. He wore the typical breastplate over the tan robes and pants, the heavy boots consuming the cloth at calf height. he asked several questions, but once the scroll was revealed, he signaled to the officers along the perimeter. The outer gate sealed in seconds.

Just as the gate had closed, however, the torches lining the outer streets started to go out one by one. Then, the inner lights vanished, until only the courtyard before the gate remained in a dim circle of light. The civilians huddled together, hearing phantom footfalls echo in the inky corners of the village's crevices.

The guards started to form around Mitarashi. "What is that?" one of them demanded.

Anko reached into her trenchcoat, causing the soldiers to draw their short swords. The woman held up a flare, her eyes closed, her mind calm. Triggering the igniter, a brilliant red flame erupted from one end. Holding the torch above her head, the sickening light cast warped shadows about the inner circle.

Along the edges of the darkness, eight figures crouched in the recesses of the courtyard's architecture, their eyes reflecting in the light like demons.

------------------

End of Chapter IV

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Coments/questions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	5. Chapter V: Qualification

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter V:**

_Just as the gate had closed, however, the torches lining the outer streets started to go out one by one. Then, the inner lights vanished, until only the courtyard before the gate remained in a dim circle of light. The civilians huddled together, hearing phantom footfalls echo in the inky corners of the village's crevices._

_The guards started to form around Mitarashi. "What is that?" one of them demanded._

_Anko reached into her trenchcoat, causing the soldiers to draw their short swords. The woman held up a flare, her eyes closed, her mind calm. Triggering the igniter, a brilliant red flame erupted from one end. Holding the torch above her head, the sickening light cast warped shadows about the inner circle._

_Along the edges of the darkness, eight figures crouched in the recesses of the courtyard's architecture, their eyes reflecting in the light like demons._

------------------

The morning sun rose with the newly conscripted civilians to the training grounds just beyond Mamoru's defensive walls. As the platoon of tan clad men with their polearms dispersed to the west, five men in maroon tunics and black, loose fitting utility pants with several buttoned pockets approached the formation of ragged civilians. "You are here," one of the five officers began, standing in the center of the line which approached the crowd, "because you couldn't find work elsewhere, and your village needs protection."

At that moment, each of the five men worked their way slowly through the pack of individuals. They mostly wore tattered rags, unkempt beards, and sagged when they stood. Raidon observed quietly just beyond the clearing, well within view of the men. He would be introduced later on. For now, he wanted to measure what he was up against. He was not impressed.

"Mostly refugees from the outlying countryside, and farmers who couldn't hack it," Hyuuga stated calmly to Mitarashi, who hid her presence behind a tree just to the right of her superior. "They have the muscle, but their training..."

"So," Anko smirked, "we're pitting our unit against theirs?"

"Specialized tactical skill against brute force with a hierarchical command structure," Raidon summarized. "Not difficult for chuunin level candidates, assuming no ninjutsu is involved."

"When does this start getting fun?" the woman grumbled, stretching lazily against the tree.

"Let them train for a few weeks," Hyuuga replied. "Toughen them up a bit, before we soften them up with a little show of force."

"Shouldn't be too hard, given the display last night."

------------------

The team had been training since 0500 hours, long before the autumn chill had lifted from the dusty hills. The morning exercise had loosened up their bodies, urging their endurance to surface for the upcoming day. Only after the two hour session did the training continue where the course to Mamoru left off. Anko barked basic instructions to the genin as they dug tunnels, and honed their foraging skills. The orders were clear. No food was to be purchased from the village until they earned it on their first mission. For the time being, they would live, eat, and sleep only with what they could craft in the wilderness surrounding them.

That mission, Raidon explained, would arrive in the next week.

There was no break for lunch, Naruto noted. There was only a switch from one form of training to another. His kunai throwing skills were underdeveloped at best, proving only to scare off the local deer population which occasionally bounded through the gaps in the boulders along the trail. As the other students managed to snatch smaller game, Uzumaki simply fought with the supply of rusted steel, chucking the metal at object after object.

Hinata was not particularly pleased.

"Naruto..." she sighed, noting the setting sun. "Everyone else has found food."

The blonde genin gripped at his head of hair in frustration. The heiress had proven more skilled at throwing kunai, but even her talents were wasted on the swifter mammals of the rocky terrain. The traps they had learned before could not apply here, not in a realm of rock and scrubby vegetation. In the forest it was different. Traps could be easily set, building materials were plentiful, and tight spaces ensured an easy kill.

In the open country, the next generation of Fire Country were outsiders.

Naruto ran his hands through the rough soil of the makeshift training grounds. It felt firm, made up of clay and a high concentration of iron. It also had an odd smell to it, something different than that of Konoha. He froze, his brain processing this fact for a moment. "Hinata..." he started. "We... smell different, don't we?"

The heiress blushed, confused by his statement. "N-Naruto?"

"I mean... we eat different things than the people here, we wear different clothes, and we don't have the same trees in Konoha." The idea started to sink in. "What if... what if we made ourselves the same as everything here?" He smiled. "If we can't just run up after our food, why not wait for it?"

He held up the soil, and the heiress froze. Something nagged at her in the back of her mind. She recognized this dirt. Taking a small handful, she squeezed it in her fist, triggering her Byakugan. "Naruto," she started. "This dirt... I can't see my chakra."

Everything started to make sense.

------------------

The deer were grazing only a few meters away as the other students sat around the protected flames of the campfire. Raidon was visiting with each one of them, inspecting their efforts over the day. For the most part he was impressed. They had all learned quickly, each pair managing to scrap together enough food to stay alive.

His niece and Uzumaki, however, were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Uzumaki and Hyuuga?" he asked the group. The students each looked at their peers, and shook their heads, indicating none had seen where the pair had gone. Frustrated at constantly using the technique, the jounin triggered his eyes, scanning the surrounding area. That was... odd. "Anko, I think we have a problem..."

Mitarashi appeared in a puff of smoke instantly by the man's side. "How can they get lost out here?" the woman groaned. "There's nothing to get lost in!"

Just then, the genin turned in horror to the scream of one of the deer, its counterparts bolting from the small patch of fresh soil and alluring grass. No, the grass was gone now, with grimy, muddy limbs exploding from the ground, a kunai thrust up into the animal. Raidon had to shake his head, and clear the confusion from his mind for a moment as the pieces fell into place. As the thrashing limbs of the deer struggled against Uzumaki's strikes, Hyuuga burst from behind a boulder, another kunai finding its way into the deer's jugular. The animal went limp, and fell to the ground.

The deer was brought in silence to the campfire, the tainted blades making easy work of the carcass. As Mitarashi placed the first slab of flesh over the fire, she looked up in time to see the ANBU's feral smile.

------------------

The coded letter sent to the Hokage was simplistic in its cypher, and even more simplistic in its delivery system. However, it had the advantage of not being a means others would suspect. As the mail courier placed the letter in his knapsack, the merchant convoy departed for the Fire Country.

Most would think Raidon was out of his mind, using such a method, but covert messages do not have to be complex to be undetected. The envelope would be sent to a village within Fire Country, a different one for each message so as to avoid detection. The message itself would be something requesting forwarded service to a member of the Hyuuga branch family. From there, the letter would be sent with perfectly valid correspondence to the family member in question.

The deception came from the fact that, once brought into Fire Country, mail was not so carefully inspected when sent to Konoha. This was to encourage national relations amongst the various towns, and the belief that the nation's autonomy did not wholly depend upon a shinobi village.

This thinking, however, was what allowed Root to develop such a strong external intelligence network.

The status reports were an expectation Sarutobi had put on the ANBU for training outside of Fire Country. Of course, it wasn't simply a matter of ensuring the protection of the village secrets, nor of protecting the genin. Hyuuga knew the old man did not trust him. He did not spend nearly twelve years out in the wilderness, associating with various village representatives, blending in, and becoming a member of Root to come out of the cold without repercussions. But it was the risks that made this line of work interesting. Being a simple chuunin or jounin instructor was a task so many others had done previously. Raidon wanted something different.

He was on the verge of achieving it. Only a few pieces were left to fall into place.

------------------

Every day, it was gradually more running, then less, then more again. The days there was less running usually involved more strength training than anything else, but their instructors had a way to keep things interesting. Each of them struggled with one set of training or another, but each had mastered their own difficulties.

At least, everyone besides Makiko, Hinata, and Naruto, Raidon noted. Itou still had difficulty with authority, charging headlong into assignments with little to no assessment of the situation. Hinata still hesitated, at everything. It was infuriating thinking she was related to him. Then, finally, there was Naruto. What could he say about the boy? He wasn't precisely the legacy the Fourth would have wanted to leave behind. He was still a child, with ideals that needed to be broken. That seemed to be the story with all of the candidates this year, but Uzumaki was the one who stood out.

Shinobi in the village had become over-glorified foot soldiers with a desire for stardom. They stood out too much, and status was assigned by those who had the greatest legends spoken of them. This was not how proper shinobi behaved. True shinobi, as he saw in Water or Earth Countries. Of course, very few of their shinobi ever reached such fame due to the losses suffered in the last great war.

The Uchiha clan had a similar mentality, and that is what led to the various conflicts.

"So, what are you going to do?" Anko asked.

"I need to bring out the box," he answered.

"The...box?" Mitarashi twitched for a moment. "Is that even used anymore?" She had heard stories of the box, but they were only stories. No one had really used such training measures for decades. Some considered it a crude, sadistic method, which led to its banning during the last war. "The box is a little-"

"It's adaptable, and no one uses it for training anymore, so I can bring it out without any trouble from the Hokage." Raidon looked back to the othre genin. I'm going to make all of them take it, but those three, I have plans for them."

Mitarashi blinked, and looked at Uzumaki, Itou, and Hyuuga. The three sat on the ground, separate from the others, all looking down at the ground. No one had said anything, but they all knew why they were separated. Occasionally, Naruto would look up at the ANBU, and then look over to Hinata. The heiress blinked, and blushed slightly, but turned away. This was not the time for such feelings.

"They'll be running an op tonight," Raidon indicated, retrieving a map of the outlying area. Nodding towards the three, he motioned for them to come.

Hinata hesitated, but she was the first to move, her blonde companion following automatically. Itou stuttered, then moved along, coming to an abrupt stop with the others only a meter from the two jounin. "Y-yes, Sir?" Hinata started.

Raidon smiled, and presented the map. "We have a mission for you, B-Rank, no less." He watched as the genin looked amongst themselves, Itou in particular, trying to suppress a surprised smile. Handing his niece the map, he gestured for the others to gather around. "As you are aware, there have been new infantry units training with the village regulars. We need some recon on them."

"Y-you mean we're going to-?" Hinata started.

"Don't make assumptions, Ms. Hyuuga," her uncle started. "We just need some intel, but we didn't say why." He paused, waiting for any other protests to go silent. There were none, however, and he motioned back to the map. "We need number, equipment, their provisions, and any additional materials you can retrieve. I can't stress this enough, do _not_ be detected! We are considered guests here, and any mission taken against the regular infantry will be seen as a hostile act. We cannot have any casualties on this mission, on either side."

"But-" Naruto started. "Wait, why would we betray these people like that? They've welcomed us!"

Raidon sighed. He knew this lesson was not something a mere shinobi was taught. It was something he would always have to learn in the field. "You will learn, tonight, and many other missions to come, a shinobi is not hired for loyalty. Because of our clientele, we can be working for one village one day, then working for their enemies the next." He looked around the group, all of them staring in disgust. "This is why Konoha and Suna try to mind their own business. But prudence demands we actively seek out our enemies. That's where deep reconnaissance missions come into play."

"We... understand," Hinata muttered, turning back to the map.

"Good," the ANBU acknowledged. "Get a plan prepped, and brief me on it before your departure. You have until nineteen-hundred hours."

Makiko was left alone, trying to understand what was happening as Uzumaki and Hyuuga worked over he map. All she could understand, however, was that this would be her last chance. Anko made that point quite clear earlier in the day.

As the girl stepped forward, Hinata paused. She did not know how to treat this girl. Before she could speak, though, Naruto jumped in. "Makiko-chan, do you want to take the creekbed approach, or cross the ridgeline?"

'Makiko-CHAN?' Hyuuga thought, trying to keep her face frigid. She eyed Naruto cautiously, wondering about his intent, but kept silent. A good leader, she was told, knew when to keep silent. She would wait, and observe how this situation played out.

Itou twitched, and looked down at her feet. "I'm just... I just do what I'm told, now," she explained. "I'll go with the plan."

Uzumaki raised an eyebrow. "B-but, you're a part of this mission!" he explained. Sighing, he looked to Hyuuga. "Hinata?"

Hinata froze for a moment, then studied the map. "Naruto, you and I will take the ridgeline. M-Makiko... If you take the creekbed, you can be the back-up."

Both nodded, and the group made their way to the instructors.

------------------

Why was she the leader? Hinata could not wrap her head around it, but as Naruto took point, keeping his hands on the kunai, she could not help but smile. He trusted her unconditionally. She did not know how to respond to that. There were those moments, she had to admit, over the last few weeks in which she and the boy had felt... something. She was hesitant to think of it as love, at least, not yet, anyway. Still, their pairing in this course made a logistical, tactical, and even a social sense.

But then were was Itou. Hinata looked down as she continued along the low ridgeline, trying to blend in with the shadows of the occasional boulders. Makiko was making slow but steady progress alongside the creekbed. She knew it was just Uzumaki's nature to be friendly towards everyone, but this was the first time she found that a less than desirable trait.

CLearing her head, Hinata focused on the mission. For the sake of redundancy, Itou was taking the path along the creekbed to the outskirts of the village, while the lightly treaded deer trail along the ridgeline paralleled the creek. They were approaching from the west, only ten meters from the main road leading to Suna, which ran along the valley opposite the creekbed. If there were any patrols, Naruto and Hinata would encounter them first, followed by Makiko, if they managed to get past their primary defense.

Just then, Naruto held up his hand. Their approach over the low rolling hills was dependent on keeping a minimal, inhuman profile. Dropping to one knee, Hinata descended into a prone position, triggering the Byakugan. The two man patrol moved slowly along the main road. Naruto had taken a position behind a slight boulder, preparing for action. Behind her, through the bloodline limit, she could see Itou still running, trying to find shelter.

Working her hand gently, trying cautiously to signal the girl, Hinata gestured her hand in a "down" movement. Makiko noticed the sudden motion, and flopped with an audible splash into the creekbed.

Wincing, Hinata turned her attention to the two sentries. Both had frozen in place, waving torches over their heads in the direction of the hillside. Hinata wanted to curse under her breath, but muted herself, watching as Naruto watched her for any signs. The Hyuuga heiress reached a critical dilemma. Did she draw her kunai, or remain motionless? She looked into Naruto's eyes, pleading.

Naruto shook his head, and put his weapon away. This was meant to be a reconnaissance mission, after all, and one condition had been strictly repeated: no physical harm to any of the infantry. The political and strateic repercussions of losing Mamoru meant a breach in the border defense against a possible Suna uprising. While there were sketchy reports at best, there was still reports from Root of activity stirring. They needed this village's friendship.

Still, from a tactical perspective, they needed this intelligence.

"Maybe a deer?" one sentry said to the other.

"I don't think so," he answered. "The mass isn't right. A deer would sound different."

Hyuuga watched as the two men began to march up the hillside. Naruto could hear them, their heavy tread growing louder. The girl tried to think, looking at her partner. Then she remembered. They could not _harm_ the sentries. Hinata pointed to her roll of wire, and made a slight gesture towards the men.

Naruto nodded, and formed the seals.

Turning her attention up to the others, Makiko noticed the hand gestures of Uzumaki, and Hyuuga reaching for her wire. Something was happening, and she would be needed. Just as she started to move, she froze. Would they really need her? Wasn't she just always in the way? Shaking her head, she quietly rolled up onto dry land, and reached for her wire.

Just as the men reached the top of the ridge, they noticed a girl lying quietly on the ground. "H-Hey!" one of them shouted, instantly diving to one knee, reaching for her. In a split second, he found his hands bound, and the girl's foot planted firmly into his gut. With a swift rolling motion on her back, the man was tossed over the ridge, his hands bound in wire.

As the second guard moved in with a pike, three orange suited figures bounded over the boulder. Moving in, the man disregarded the girl, and focused on the three new intruders. Shouting, he thrust the pike towards the first, noticing it vanishing in a puff of smoke. As he tried to deliver a strike to another, it blocked, and planting its hands to the ground, drove a foot against his ankle in a foot sweep. As the man tumbled, however, he reached out with his pike, and jabbed at the second one.

Naruto felt the hot burning sensation of the pike pierce his skin, plunging into his arm.

"NARUTO!" Hinata screamed.

Makiko looked up, and shivered. As the last of the Uzumaki copies dispersed, the original lay against the boulder, reaching for his left bicep. Makiko shook her head, and bolted for the top of the ridge, kunai in hand, and in a full sprint.

Finishing the slip knot around the first sentry's wrists., Hinata bounded up, reaching instinctively for her kunai. The second sentry was running, now, screaming, trying to sound the alarm to the village. Looking back at Naruto, she felt her hands clench, wrapping around the handles of her weapons. Itou was at Naruto's side now, and the cold chill sank through her gut as she watched the girl panicking, tearing at the boy's jumpsuit.

Naruto groaned, rolling his head to his left, trying to find Hinata. "Makiko?" he asked. "Where is Hinata?"

"She's okay," Itou answered, cutting at the jumpsuit, wrapping his left arm in the improvised tourniquet. "I'll go after her. You okay?"

"Wait, she's running?" Naruto was instantly on his feet, wincing as he reached for his arm. "Stop her, Itou."

"B-but!"

"DO IT!" he barked. "I've got the guard here. Stop her, and the guard, now!"

------------------

The Hyuuga were trained since childhood to take advantage of their bloodline limit. As such, like all eye jutsu users, the clan focused on agility, and endurance. Physical strength was unnecessary due to the Jyuuken techniques. However, the speed and duration at which a Hyuuga clan member was capable was the primary measure of their status.

This was something which Hinata was criticized for on many occasions. However, seeing Naruto stabbed like that, lying helpless on teh ground, she found a new, untapped energy. Bolting as quickly as she could down the main road, she found the man stumbling, catching his breath. That was when she went to work, throwing all her weight into a tackling blow. The man instantly fell helpless to the ground.

"Y-you hurt Naruto-kun!" she yelped, the kunai pressed firmly against his throat. Slamming her other hand against his mouth, she delivered a quick burst of chakra. The man's jaw was suddenly crippled, unable to move. He stared into the girl's eyes, and Hinata stared back, her bloodline limit activated, studying his features in precise detail.

She could not describe the sensations she felt. Not once in her time in the Hyuuga compound did she feel rage. She was always quiet, timid, and defensive. She cared for Neji, cared for those in the branch family. She even had fond feelings towards Hanabi. Yet, none of them hurt Naruto.

She knew her orders, and they echoed in the back of her mind as she slid the kunai slowly, firmly over the man's jugular. He wouldn't die; not yet, anyway.

The entirety of the environment was within her sight, the man, the ground, and now, Itou running at full speed down the hillside. "Hinata!" she screeched. "Stop!" Taking her post beside her teammate, the girl began wrapping the wire around the man's ankles, then up to his hands. Moving rapidly, the girl moved her hands over Hyuuga's wrists, and slowly pried the kunai from the man's throat. "No casualties, remember?"

Hyuuga glared at the man, then at Itou. As she looked at the other girl, her features softened. Makiko took the kunai as the girl's hands clenched into fists. "I-is Naruto-kun?"

"Naruto will be okay," she said, pulling Hinata away from the man. "No casualties, remember?"

Hinata sighed, and nodded. She looked back at the hillside, and noticed Naruto staring down at the man along the opposite side of the hill. "W-we need to get him back to camp."

Itou glared at the girl. "We need to finish the _mission!_"

"But Naruto-kun-"

"We NEED to finish this, or we all fail, right?" Itou stressed. "Do you want to fail? Do you want Naruto to fail?" Hyuuga bit her lip. "I promise, Naruto will be okay, but Mitarashi was quite clear." The girl sighed. "You guys will probably make it, but this is my last chance."

Hinata looked back up at Naruto, then to Makiko. "..Alright."

------------------

Raidon did not know what to say when the five silhouettes crossed into the encampment. The genin were on their feet at once, weapons at their side. However, as the figures approached, Anko stepped in, and did not seem pleased. "You took prisoners?" she muttered, her lips pulled into a tight, expressionless line. "This has complicated things." Then she noticed Naruto's shoulder, and the slow stream of blood. The boy was rather pale. "Oh God..." she grumbled, drawing her hand down her face in disgust.

"Dai, Ken," Raidon barked. "Watch the prisoners, keep them silent. Hiroko, Shima, get to the perimeter, and stand guard." Turning back to the three genin, the girls supporting the boy, Hyuuga frowned. "How much time do we have?"

"The sentries rotate every four hours, Sir," Itou stated calmly. She hoped what little strength she showed now would help, but she would not have been surprised if she was sent packing that instant. "We used substitutions, which should be noticed in another two hours."

"You have the intel?" he asked. Hinata handed her uncle the documents, along with a crude sketch of the perimeter defenses. The man seemed to relax, studying the maps and supply lists in detail. "No casualties?" He was further surprised when the squad all shook their heads. "Okay, not favorable, but workable."

Ankto was at Naruto's side, pulling the tourniquet away just in time to notice the bleeding had stopped, and the wound had started scabbing over. "That's... that's quick," she remarked, wrapping the wound with gauze regardless. Shoving a canteen into the boy's hand, she ground up a soldier pill, dumping the contents into the fluid. "This will keep you going for now. When the battle is over, get some rack time."

"Battle?" Naruto asked.

"Our wargame session was supposed to be another week from now," Raidon mentioned, "but we have to move up our timetable if we're going to make this work. Either way, no one's going to be happy." Looking out at the perimeter, he noticed Shima waving the danger signal. "Uzumaki, you're with me. Itou, Hyuuga, follow Mitarashi, and get the others forward."

Watching the others move into position, Raidon handed Naruto a series of training tags. "No casualties, right? Good to go?"

Naruto nodded.

"Welcome to combat training."

End of Chapter V

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I know, it's been a while. I'm working on condensing the in-progress fics I have into just three or four, and scrapping the rest, or offering others to take them over. If you would be so inclined to have at a few of my other works, by all means, send me a message.

"Fire of the Fox", "Salvaged," and a combination of some of the existing works, entitled "Apostle of Evangelion" will be continued by me. Some will be deleted outright, and others will be open to other authors.

•••••••••••••


	6. Chapter VI: Losses

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter VI:**

_"Our wargame session was supposed to be another week from now," Raidon mentioned, "but we have to move up our timetable if we're going to make this work. Either way, no one's going to be happy." Looking out at the perimeter, he noticed Shima waving the danger signal. "Uzumaki, you're with me. Itou, Hyuuga, follow Mitarashi, and get the others forward."_

_Watching the others move into position, Raidon handed Naruto a series of training tags. "No casualties, right? Good to go?"_

_Naruto nodded._

_"Welcome to combat training."_

The Hokage grumbled, reading over the latest correspondence from Raidon with his evening mail. With the incoming thunderstorm from the east. There were reports coming in from the ANBU and genin squads of increased activity along the border with Suna. While there had been no increased activity near Mamoru, Sarutobi knew it was just a matter of time. Looking over at the pen and stationary of his desk, he considered returning the correspondence, keeping the jounin's game in play. However, if he did that, it would take days for the message to be received.

With recent word from Jiraiya of Akutsuki's behavior, and the sketchy reports of Orochimaru's movements within the newly formed Sound Country, there were too many risks to allow for the new genin squads to be exposed outside Konoha's walls.

There was a sudden knock at the office door.

Hatake Kakashi sat outside the intensive care ward of the hospital, holding a crimson-stained cloth to his forehead. Haruno Sakura sat beside him, slumped against the man's shoulder, cringing in her drug-induced sleep. Both their clothes were torn and muddied from the days of marching through the swamplands just southwest of Wave Country.

Asuma and Kurenai slammed quickly through the hallway door, their genin squads in tow. Each looked over the two sitting on the benches fixed to the drab gray walls. "What's the situation?" Sarutobi asked. After another double-take, he approached Kakashi slowly. "Where's the rest of your team?"

Hatake gestured towards the intensive care ward. "Sasuke is alive," he muttered. "We don't know anything else."

Yaminaka Ino moved swiftly, rapidly between the two boys in her squad, trying desperately to peer into the small, grated windows of the swivel doors. Just as she passed the former ANBU, her attention was instantly drawn to Sakura. Freezing in mid-stride, Ino blinked, and moved cautiously, gracefully to the former friend. Resting on one knee, she moved in closer, the girl fidgeting, trembling. "W-what happened?" the blonde stuttered.

"It wasn't a C-rank mission," Kakashi grumbled. "The client lied. It was an A-rank, against Zabuza."

Ino blinked, then turned back to Sakura. She hadn't noticed at first, but under the caked layer of mud covering the girl's arms and legs, she noticed slight lacerations. They were not serious, at least not that Ino could tell, but there were many. Hearing footsteps behind her, the girl turned, noticing a medic-nin. "Excuse me," Ino started, her voice carrying a hint of annoyance. "Isn't anyone going to do anything for her?"

Although she gestured to Sakura's wounds, the nin dismissed her, rushing towards the ICU.

"Ino, they have serious work to do," Asuma grumbled, walking up to the genin. Standing beside Kakashi, he looked down at the pink-haired kunoichi. As Haruno stirred, the girl's eyes cracked open, her arms moving defensively across her chest. "Why don't you take Sakura out of here for now?" Looking down at the former ANBU, Asuma nodded to the man's subtle gesture.

"U-uh, yeah..." Ino replied. Turning to Sakura, the Yaminaka tried to smile, reaching for the girl's hands. Sakura, however, did not move. "Sakura?" It took a moment, but the girl finally looked up, her dull, green eyes finding focus on the blonde. "Come on, let's get you home."

"Where's Shimada?" Asuma started, but went silent immediately as he noticed Sakura twitch. Kakashi shook his head, at which point both Kurenai and Asuma fell into a solemn moment of reflection. The genin seemed to notice this, and turned their eyes down to the floor, studying their feet in detail as the footfalls of the two girls went silent in the distance.

"Sakura?" Ino started. The pink-haired girl blinked for a moment, her eyes going dull once again as Yaminaka pulled her back into a slow, steady walk. "Let's go."

The lord of Mamoru glared at the notice handed to him by the courier from Wind Country. What they were proposing was outright madness. Mamoru had suffered too many casualties over the three ninja wars, and again, they were asked to stand aside while another invasion would occur? "You must be joking," the graying man snorted, slamming the document down on his desk, his eyes locked on the courier.

Wearing the royal arm band of a courier from the Wind Country's lord, the young, brown-haired man flinched, but did not dare take a step back. He was a representative of Wind Country and the policies thereof. Any action on his part was to be precise and professional, relaying only the clear message of Suna's intent. "The document speaks for itself, Sir," the man simply replied. "The expeditionary force is already en-route. You cannot turn them away."

"We can, and we _will!"_ the lord barked, signaling the courier to return to his home soil. Turning in his chair, he snarled, looking out from his home to the improvised training grounds just outside the village. The infantry was still too low to mount any sort of feasible defense, especially against properly trained jounin from Suna. There were stories of their enhanced training programs, and if they were to really march into Fire Country with that number of shinobi, it would be certain their ANBU forces would be involved. They simply would not redirect, especially as Mamoru was the only village within seventy kilometers of another trade route.

In fact, a majority of the infantry were still recovering from serious injuries during that rather...unusual wargame.

Thinking for a moment, he looked over to the small formation of children, and the ANBU he had learned to trust with his life. The man had proven vital nearly a decade ago, as the last of Suna's forces tried their ill-conceived raid on Mamoru's food stores. Signaling to his aide, an idea formed in his head.

It was an interesting result, Raidon thought. Still, things had not turned out as he had hoped. They had to use more manpower than anticipated. More importantly, sitting beside the grouping of genin, he noticed their various injuries. They would be down for at least a week, making training nearly impossible.

At least, he considered, they could cover academic training instead of worsening their conditions. However, as their training began on small unit tactics, a messenger arrived. Turning, Hyuuga noticed the arm band. It was from the lord of Mamoru himself. This, he imagined, would not be good.

"What's the word?" the jounin asked the young man.

"Trouble," he replied. "Suna is moving in on our position. My lord would like to discuss the situation with you in detail."

Looking back at his students, Raidon frowned. "He can't be serious." Sighing as the messenger remained stoic, Hyuuga signaled for Anko. "Mitarashi, we have a situation on our hands. Take over for now. I'll be back."

As he walked off, the woman could only stare, wondering what she was supposed to do. They were limited in their training for the week, and she was far from a full-fledged jounin. Looking back at the group, however, a dark thought crept into her mind. "Everyone, come here!" Rubbing her palms together, she watched as the battered party moved to the rally point. "We're going to build a box."

With each step, Haruno shivered, pulling closer to Ino. The blonde guided the girl slowly forward into the two story home, noting, oddly her skin was cold, still damp. Opening the door, Ino guided her friend through the living room, and without a word to the girl's parents, walked Sakura slowly to the comfortably decorated bedroom and the upstairs shower. "I'm right here, Sakura," she whispered softly. "Let's get you cleaned up."

Sakura sat in the bathtub, the thick soap suds coating the top layer of of water, slowly breaking down into a translucent film. Ino tested the water with her hand, and jerked away quickly. It was hot, as hot as she could stand to bring it without scalding the girl. Still, Haruno sat in the tub, shivering.

"Sakura?" Ino asked, leaning against the tub, her arms supporting her tilted head. "Are... are you alright?"

Sakura blinked several times, tears forming as she leaned against the wall opposite her friend. "Shimada... he was cut down like... like a slaughtered animal." Her voice was quiet, soft, like Ino had known of the girl back in the academy. Her eyes stared straight ahead between sobs, her face frozen in shock. "Sasuke, he... he tried to stop them, but-"

Yaminaka reached out, and pulled the girl into a tight hug, refusing to let go. "It's okay," she breathed. "You're home... you're safe."

"But, Sasuke is-" she started. "I... I couldn't help him."

Ino cringed, pulling the girl tighter. "Don't think about that now," the blonde sighed. "You can train to be better later." For two hours, she sat there with her friend, unable to move. There was nothing else either of them could do.

Raidon left the meeting with the Mamoru council frustrated, his hands twitching in rage. They honestly expected him to hold the village against a Suna expeditionary force with a batch of freshly appointed genin? He would question their sanity, but he already knew the answer. Unless someone came from a hidden village, they were not aware of the practical abilities of the various ranks. He considered this to be a double-edged sword. While it helped the mystique of the shinobi cloud their true abilities from their adversaries, it also meant clients had no idea what they were looking for, or how to obtain the best results. Mamoru was just another example of misguided civilians and the illusion of supernatural child soldiers all the villages tried to portray.

As he approached the camp, he felt an odd sensation creep through his skin. Triggering the Byakugan, he thought he saw bursts of chakra from just over the hillside to the camp. Pausing for a moment, he remembered what he had said to Anko, about the training. "No... please tell me you didn't," he sighed.

Crossing the hill, he groaned, gripping his forehead.

Besides Itou, the other students stood around a crudely assembled box made of scrap lumber. Mitarashi was standing beside the box, guiding Hinata as the heiress delivered Jyuuken strikes in a random order over the various surfaces. No words were spoken, so as to keep external stimuli to a minimum. The genin watched with an odd mix of emotions, mostly fear.

He could hear Itou's screams from the hill.

Walking slowly up to Anko, Raidon glared at the woman, his gaze fixed directly on her eyes. The woman was firm, at first, but slowly backed away from the box. Hinata did not even need a signal from the woman, her senses already attuned to the man's loud, long gait. As Hyuuga studied Hyuuga, the elder watched as a pained expression of anguish and sorrow remained on the heiress, the girl pulling herself away from the structure.

Cracking the box open, prying the hatch with his kunai, the man could barely step aside fast enough to avoid Makiko leaping through the opening, clinging to his legs, her body shaking violently. "You used the seals on the box, didn't you?"

"W-well, you said-" Anko started. Somehow, she couldn't find her voice.

"I said _maybe_ we would bring out the box. I didn't say anything about using the seals with it!" Frustrated, the man found his hands clenching down on his kunai, his eyes closed, trying to block out the offending sights. "Everyone... mission briefing in five minutes. For now... I can't stand to look at you. Take a walk!"

Uzumaki stared out into the night, kneeling beside Raidon. The quarter moon's light penetrated the clouds overhead, exposing the open field, keeping the shadows from enveloping the students completely. As he looked over at the ANBU, both of them knelt down behind a boulder, the man simply glared out into the darkness. There was no need for the Byakugan. Although Naruto did not understand at first, the man had learned patience with the boy. "They're still out of my range," he explained to the genin. "Typical complement for a raiding party like this is around 10 jounin, with or more lower ranked chuunin." He turned to Naruto, the boy's face twitching in fear. "Don't worry... we won't engage directly."

"B-but," the blonde started.

"We're not going to do anything stupid," Hyuuga interrupted. "Just relax, and remember your training. Infiltrate, observe, but do not engage." Raidon took a sharp breath, trying to reassure him of that as much as the boy. In reality, he did not know how Mamoru would react to the Suna presence, or if Suna had executive orders to simply engage any persons they encountered without question. The other villages, he knew, were not as forgiving as Konoha.

When the footsteps of the platoon grew closer, Hyuuga made the classic gesture, triggering the bloodline limit. He could just detect the faint traces of chakra of the men ahead of him, and the students behind. Hyuuga noted his niece was properly positioned with Mitarashi at the rear of the group, while the others took on the left and right flanks. With their Byakugan in effect, they had a workable detection net none of the Suna nin would be able to escape.

"What is the plan, Sir?" Naruto stuttered as he asked.

Raidon grinned, pulling his goggles down over his eyes. "We let them slip past us, surround them, and prepare our diversions." Looking back at Uzumaki, Hyuuga gave a thumbs up. "Mitarashi and Hyuuga will coordinate with us, and we each direct the others closest to us."

It made sense, to a point, but Naruto was far from a tactical genius. He would just trust in his sensei, and observe what he could to learn.

Raidon sighed, and made some subtle hand gestures towards Hinata and Anko, approximately fifty meters southwest. "Just don't hurt anyone, and don't aggravate that arm."

The expeditionary force was closer, and indeed, several jounin made up the group. "Wait, that's odd..." the ANBU muttered. Towed behind two jounin was a small box-like structure filled with spears. Waving off the others, Raidon hoped to stall their engagement. "Uzumaki... you know what that is?"

The boy shook his head.

"Unguided rockets," Raidon started, reaching for his jacket pocket. Gripping a pen in his hand, he started to write the encrypted message, taking precautions to ensure it would not be easily decoded. Stuffing the letter into an envelope, he handed it to Naruto. "Get Hyuuga, and run this back to Konoha. Don't stop for anyone or anything, got it?"

"B-but-!"

Raidon drew his kunai, and placed it against the boy's neck. "Go, NOW!"

At a flat-out sprint, Hinata would normally find herself stumbling by a half kilometer. Since the training, however, she and Naruto were both eating up ground. As they slipped through the thinned forest land of the border, the boy had plenty left in him, and the girl had drastically improved. If they were under any other circumstances, the two would be laughing at how far they had come from the academy.

As it was, Hinata suppressed a whimper as a jagged, dying tree branch whipped across her face. Naruto was doing his best to run just three steps ahead, shoving the obstructions aside. Still, the brush and low-hanging branches of their route back to Konoha made any movement difficult. At least, the genin considered, it would protect them from being easily pursued.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata started. Uzumaki turned his head to notice the girl starting to stumble, rubbing at her face. "Is this... okay, leaving them behind?"

"Mr. Hyuuga gave us specific orders," the blonde answered. "I want to help, too, Hinata, but he believes in us to get this to the Hokage." Looking back again, he watched the heiress nod slightly, yet her sprint had slowed to a more comfortable, natural run. Was she deliberately drawing out the distance between them? "What is it?"

"...The training with Makiko," Hinata said. "You... you didn't like it, did you?"

Uzuamki's stomach tensed. Was it that obvious? He didn't want to upset the girl, but he didn't know what else to say. "Itou didn't deserve it," the boy answered. He waited for her response, occasionally looking back, but when one did not come, he knew he had to speak again. Hinata's hands clenched as her eyes started drifting down to the ground immediately in front of her. "Hinata, Mitarashi made you do it because you can deliver Jyuuken strikes, that's all. It wasn't your fault." Sighing, the blonde slowed his pace to close the gap between them, and sensing something odd in the pit of his stomach, reached out for the girl's hand with his own.

Hinata did not know why she reached out for him, but her fingers were suddenly interlaced with Naruto's, her speed increasing, their arms comfortably at their sides as they pushed through the forest. Somehow, the sting of tree branches and scrub brush did not bother her as much. A quick glance towards Uzumaki confirmed what she had thought. Just like her, a light redness had formed in their faces. Of course, that was probably from the all-out run to the border, wasn't it?

"Still... who would come up with an idea like that box?" the blonde barked. "That's the worst idea I've ever seen!"

Hyuuga stammered for a moment, her hand clenching down again on his. "It's... it's a Hyuuga clan technique..." Uzumaki's feet seemed to jar the ground in an awkward stumble. It was only Hinata's momentum that pulled the boy back to a run. "I-it wasn't meant to be used like _that_!" she blurted out. "It's meant for training.." She hoped that was all she needed to say about that, her hand squeezing back to Naruto's grip.

As their run for the border continued, Hinata could not have enjoyed a more peaceful silence.

Training had taken various forms in the Hyuuga branch family over the generations, mainly depending on the demands of each generation. As political power and particular skill sets shifted within the village, the main house has had to enforce a new set of standards on their protectors. For a time, weapons training was the standard for most branch members, to further reduce the chances of a lowly cousin trying to usurp power from the main house. Then, during the Great Shinobi Wars, the focus once again turned to scouting and Jyuuken techniques. For that brief stretch of time, they were seen as less of a threat.

However, even as a limited threat, a certain level of control, of discipline, must always be enforced. The main house understood this above all else. Such training was a matter of ensuring dominance, while actual survival skills were sacrificed. After all, the main house could always breed more servants, but if the leaders of the clan fell, how could such a family continue?

'The Box' was one particularly cruel concept during an experiment, of sorts. To further reduce the probability of revolt by the branch house, members of the Konoha council and the main house conspired to develop the branch members into sensor types. The research gathered from such an undertaking had applications, theoretically, to more troublesome clans, especially those of Uchiha.

Unfortunately, as Raidon recalled, the techniques used on him during his initial genin training were counterproductive to developing proper reconnaissance abilities. However, they did prove useful in developing other, more practical skills. He had considered the beneficial applications some time before.

Of course, it had never been intended for a genin without a bloodline limit.

When Makiko started to stumble and cringe, he thought it was a bad wound that had finally taken its toll. However, as he neared the girl and the approaching Suna nin, that's when he noticed the convulsions. As the girl twitched and vomited into the dry soil, the jounin forces moved closer. Raidon knew it was only a matter of time before the girl was spotted. From that point on, the opposing force would know they had enemies in the area, and if this expeditionary force was anything like the previous raids on the border, no amount of negotiation or protracted battle could stem the bloodshed.

"Hey!" one of the jounin shouted. "We've got a kid over here!" As his small unit of three moved into low-sunken valley before the main gate to Mamoru, they froze, stopping only a few meters from Itou. "That's..." his hand brought up over his head, the jounin worked through a series of hand signals. In an instant, another ten shinobi were surrounding the girl, kunai in hand. "She's from Konoha, isn't she?"

"Too bad," another mentioned. "She's kind of cute."

As the men surrounded her, beginning a paralysis seal, the convulsions stopped. If only for a moment, Makiko seemed serene, and the most relaxed Hyuuga had seen her during this entire outing. That was, until she drove her hands down to the ground, launching her up to her feet, and driving an elbow directly into the man nearest her. "No, you idiot!" Raidon hissed under his breath. "Stay down!"

Then he noticed it, a slight build up of her chakra emissions. Itou stumbled, falling to her knees and gripping at her head as her body wrenched in violent shakes. The men started to step back, yet remained within the growing halo of blue above them. They did not know what was happening, but would hold their ground, ready to move the instant the girl's technique was released.

Clenching his fists, Raidon drew his tanto blade, and scanned the crowd for the leader. He knew those symptoms all too well, and the jounin out in the field would be disappointed to know this was not some actual technique. In fact, it might be the last thing they saw.

A brilliant sheen of chakra suddenly bathed the valley in a blinding hue. The girl's piercing screams echoed over the rush of air currents. The jounin stepped back. When the halo descended, Makiko gave a soft smile, just before the valley erupted in blue flame.

Uzumaki pulled the heiress the last few meters to the western gate of Konoha in the pouring rain. He reached out, waving his free arm as the girl clung to his right shoulder. She had lost consciousness nearly half a kilometer before. He knew he was only running on the last of his chakra reserves, as well. Still, they had to deliver the message.

When the chuunin on sentry duty approached the pair, the blonde doubled over, both him and Hyuuga crumpling to the muddy ground. "Message," he stated, handing the document to the closest hand he could see just before his eyes closed.

The chuunin studied the seal on the envelope, his face pulling tight, lips firm. "We need to notify the Hokage immediately," he said, starting towards the tower. "Get them to medical."

The firestorm sped through Mamoru, propelled by the dusty winds from the west. The infantry had long been defeated, the few survivors left stumbling over the remains of the village, guiding the civilians to safety. The lord surveyed the damage under heavy guard, and glared off to the east. He could still see the receding Suna forces, now leaving with a majority of the food stores.

"And what of the shinobi?" he asked, turning to the closest sentry.

"Their leader is mortally wounded, and one of the children are dead," the guard answered. "Their remaining forces are unable to fight. They've been relocated to the temporary shelter."

The lord grumbled, watching Mamoru's ashes glow. "Keep them hidden amongst the civilians, until their retrieval team comes. Once they are clear, I will sign the treaty with Suna."

"But Sir!" the guard began.

However, the lord simply walked to the closest of the decimated buildings. "We are a village of women and children. We cannot afford to be so choosy with our allies."

End of Chapter VI

Comments/suggestions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	7. Chapter VII: Recovery

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter VII:**

_"And what of the shinobi?" he asked, turning to the closest sentry._

_"Their leader is mortally wounded, and one of the children are dead," the guard answered. "Their remaining forces are unable to fight. They've been relocated to the temporary shelter."_

_The lord grumbled, watching Mamoru's ashes glow. "Keep them hidden amongst the civilians, until their retrieval team comes. Once they are clear, I will sign the treaty with Suna."_

_"But Sir!" the guard began._

_However, the lord simply walked to the closest of the decimated buildings. "We are a village of women and children. We cannot afford to be so choosy with our allies."_

Red flames engulfed the shadows of Hinata's dreams. Naruto had been running beside her just a moment before, her eyelids wavering as they both began to stumble, gasping for air. They were only another kilometer from the village, but their bodies felt heavy, their feet numb from the hours of pounding on the rough earth. She had cut her hands on the thorny scrub vegetation only a few kilometers before, the crusted, dried blood sticking to her palms. However, the sensation of pain had been beaten from her mind by the figure which replaced Uzumaki.

A scarlet demon, his silhouette black against the searing chakra, stared back at her with crimson, dilated eyes. As her feet started to lock in place, the figure's hand reached out, its claws tearing at her sleeve, forcing her on. Still, she could not pull away from the piercing stare of the eyes. A familiar smirk and blonde hair could not pull her away from the eyes. "Hinata!" the ragged voice called out. "Hinata... Hinata?"

"Hinata?" Ino asked. The girl snapped awake, her eyes breaking open, hands clenched on the sides of the bed in the observation ward of the hospital. It took several slow breaths, but studying her surroundings, her tensed muscles eased. There was no threat here. However, her mind snapped to another issue.

"Where... where is Naruto?" she asked.

Yaminaka looked over at the bed to the right of the heiress. The blonde had been taken by an ANBU security detail some hours before. "The Hokage has questions for him, something about a town-"

Instantly Hinata was stumbling to her feet. However, as soon as she planted weight on the ground, her legs crumpled, sending her to the floor. There was no sensation of pain, but rather a physical impact, and a sudden lightheadedness. Ino was next to her momentarily, trying to heave the girl back to the bed. "You're too weak," the girl started. "The both of you were so drained of chakra, it's amazing either of you are still alive."

She thought back to the scars on the face in her nightmare, and the red flames. She had not noticed, but there was an odd, itching sensation along her arm. As the heiress felt along the bandages, Ino could barely notice a nervous tick in Hyuuga's eyebrows.

"What do you mean reassigned?" Naruto yelped as the Hokage stared back. "What about Hyuuga-sensei? We can't just leave him there!" The council members stared back, their usual displeased glances exchanged as they considered Uzumaki skeptically. Taking a breath, Naruto clenched his hands, let them release, and closing his eyes, formed his thoughts. "I already belong to his squad."

Sarutobi shook his head. "It was a remedial class, Naruto," the old man answered. "It was a placeholder until we could assign you to an appropriate genin team." The Third frowned, and reminded not to disclose the exact details to him or the Hyuuga heiress. "With the information you passed on, we can only assume the class has been..."

Naruto blocked out the end to that sentence, instead, focusing on an old crack in the floor.

"...Since we have these openings, we're disbanding the class, and salvaging all the passing genin to appropriate squads."

"We going to fortify the defenses?" one of the Hyuuga representatives asked. Uzumaki studied the details. The others had referred to him as Hiashi, and apparently he held some sway over the remaining council. Even the Aburame and Yaminaka clan leaders yielded to him. He would have to ask Hinata about him.

Sarutobi stroked his chin, staring out the window of the council chambers into the distance. "We'll focus on intensifying the genin training, and put the village on a heightened state of alert, but we cannot afford to take obvious action yet." He looked back at the table, studying the council in detail. "First, we need to send a squad to Mamoru, and retrieve reliable data."

"But that is too risky," Hiashi started. "If the enemy is en route to the village, we need every available shinobi to defend-"

"What are you talking about?" Naruto suddenly bolted. "You can't just _leave_ them out there!"

Hiashi glared at the boy. "Sending a jounin squad to retrieve a unit of genin?" he asked. "You're the boy who barks about being the next Hokage. Tell me, would a Hokage sacrifice a jounin task force for the retrieval of some genin?"

The Aburame representative nodded, speaking behind the collar of his heavy coat. "Hyuuga does have a point."

Uzumaki snarled. He didn't know what caused it, but he found his mouth beginning to move. "I will not let this committee just sit here, and leave them to die!" Suddenly the entire council, including the Third, were looking at him intently. "You are the representatives of Konoha! I won't let you dishonor them!"

Sarutobi sighed, looking over at Yaminaka, and Nara. He already knew where they stood, both nodding towards the boy. Yet still, they knew just as the others, they could not send a jounin task force out on a recovery mission, not with this threat on the way. "We can consider other options, but a full-out rescue mission will leave us short-handed," the Kage declared.

Naruto glared at the old man, then turned, walking out.

"Uzumaki," Sarutobi barked. "You have not been dismissed."

Shutting the door to the observation room, Ino rubbed at her temples with both hands. Why was she so worried about those two? Okay, Hinata, she could understand, but Naruto? That village idiot was the last person she would ever concern herself with, especially with Sasuke still recovering from surgery.

Then again, Sakura and her were friends until their rivalry began. She tried not to like the girl, but after Team Seven's return, she was spending even more time with Haruno than with her own teammates. Maybe she was just getting soft. She supposed there were some good points to the blonde. After all, if it weren't for him, according to unofficial reports, Hinata would not have made it back alive. Fortunately, Hinata would be out of recovery in the next couple of days.

As she turned on her heel, Ino noticed an odd shift in the temperature of the corridor. This was something she was used to observing with another approaching shinobi. However, this time she couldn't hear any footfalls, detect any shadows, or notice any changes in light sources. Instantly going to a guard position, she drew a kunai. Whoever it was approaching, they were good.

It was then she saw Uzumaki appear just beside her shoulder.

"Wha-?" she started. "Naruto! H-how did you do-?"

But Uzumaki wasn't listening. Instead, he was glaring ahead at the observation room door. "How is Hinata?" Yaminaka went very still. There was a dark aura emanating from the boy, something she had never detected before. For a brief instant, she thought she saw a flash of... No, red chakra didn't exist in their world. That was impossible. "How is she?" the boy repeated.

"She's... she's not going anywhere for a couple days," Ino started, unable to restrain the words. She couldn't help but let the next sentence slip. "It will be okay, Nar- Uzumaki."

At that, the boy bristled. "Watch her for me, would you, Yaminaka?" he asked. Still, his eyes made no contact, and his body was firm, guarded. "I'm going out."

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Wait, out? Out where?"

Before she could stop him, though, the boy silently shifted on his feet, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke, just as the echo of a door down the hall resonated shut.

Naruto wandered the quiet streets of Konoha at night. It was just after dusk, the last of the merchants closing down for the evening. Shaking his head, Uzumaki did not know what he was going to do, but he couldn't leave Hyuuga-sensei, nor the others behind in hostile territory. Grumbling, he took a seat at the local ramen stand, chowing down on a bland bowl of noodles. "No meats, no vegetables?" the vendor asked.

"Changes the human odors left behind in the field," the genin repeated by rote. "Better just the noodles until I can eat something domestic to the A.O." He couldn't believe he just said that, and looked up, watching the merchant's reaction. The older man took a step back, raising an eyebrow.

Shaking his head, Naruto just snarled. "What am I even doing here?" he snapped. "I can't do anything, not like this!" The orange pants and jacket were in tatters, the mud and blood over the last few weeks ruined in the training. Still, it wasn't like he had anything else to wear, did he? He felt a slight presence behind him, and instinctively, reached for one of the dented kunai, bringing it up as he rounded on an elderly merchant dressed in tans and lighter fabrics, and skin rough as sandpaper. "Oh, I uh… sorry-"

"What are you doing here?" a chuunin demanded, rounding on the elderly man. It was Iruka, quickly lashing out, and gripping the elder man's shoulder. "We told you, we don't want your wares from Suna!"

Naruto could only watch as the chuunin whom he trusted for so long displayed such cruelty to this man. "Please," he begged. "I'm just here to make enough so I can go home!" At the hollow steps the merchant took backwards to avoid Umino's grip, the blonde looked down, noticing a dead stump just above where the knee should have been on his right leg, tied to a simple wooden post.

"We don't want your used Suna crap!" Iruka barked again, his hands quickly spinning and pinning the man to the ramen stand. "Get out of here!"

The man started to walk off, dejected, when the beginnings of a thought crossed Naruto. "Hey!" the boy shouted. "Wait up!" Bolting after the older man, Uzumaki left just enough to cover the meal and tip for himself. Iruka blinked, noticing Naruto, and turned to address the boy, but he was long gone.

The older man turned, scared, bracing his chest with his hands held out defensively. "I haven't done anything!" he shouted back.

"That's not it!" Naruto insisted, slowly as he neared the man's beaten and aged cart, a withering mule towing it with a simple yoke. "Iruka-sensei said you sell things made in Suna, is that right?" At the question, the man tensed, but Uzumaki did not show signs of hostility. "I need… something different…" Gesturing to his dress, the boy looked expectantly to the man, who started to lower his hands.

"Umm… y-yes! Yes, I think I have something!" the man beamed.

"Made in Suna?" the boy asked cautiously.

"Y-yes…"

"With… Suna papers?" the boy added. "Recent ones?"

The merchant was no fool, but to claim he wasn't desperate would have been a lie. "It… it can be done."

Naruto held out what he thought was a reasonable sum, the amount for two deluxe ramen dinners at the stand they had just left. "Show me what you have, name your price, and let's talk."

Several merchants, often confused by the behavior of Naruto Uzumaki, were even further confused as the laundry list of supplies he requested grew. It was not just the usual kunai and shrunken this time, but supplies commonly requested by traveling merchants. Rope, fresh canvas, sales ledgers, all of them paid for in exchange for second-rate Wind Country goods. That was by far the most peculiar.

Still, it wasn't like he was pulling practical jokes, at least none the villagers could tell. It didn't make sense to them, but it was merchandise exchanged at a significant profit. even if that profit did not come in currency, the goods were liquid enough to move easily with the right contacts.

Only one of the merchants, a recent newcomer to Konoha, bothered to follow the boy after hours. As the child wandered the streets, he was relatively easy to follow. The merchant snorted, a short, slender man, rather unimpressed with the ninjutsu skills of this particular blonde. That was, however, until the boy simply vanished after turning a corner near a dark alley.

Shikamaru rubbed at his eyelids, wondering who in their right mind would be rapping at his window at this time of night. His brain finally cleared from sleep, he had to wonder why anyone would try his bedroom instead of the front door. A chill shot through him suddenly. Was it an enemy of the village? His reflexes shot to action, while he appeared to simply lie there, pretending to be asleep. Looking at the shadow coming from the window, he readied some shrunken.

"Shikamaru!" Uzumaki whispered, sitting on the ledge of the window along the roof. "Shikamaru, it's important!"

Moving towards the window, Shikamaru grumbled, opening the glass pane, and rubbing at his eyes. "What is it, Naruto?" he asked. Suddenly, his eyes cleared. This was not Naruto, at least, not the Naruto he was accustomed to seeing.

The boy in front of him wore a uniform of all black, besides a few markings similar to- "Naruto!" Shikamaru barked, quickly lowering his voice. "Are you INSANE? Do you know what those markings mean?"

Naruto nodded. "It's for a mission," he explained. Reaching into a left breast pocket of the flat black coat, the hood pulled protectively over his head, he handed over all documentation to his friend. "I need you to safeguard these until I return."

"You _are_ insane," Nara insisted.

"You're also the only one who won't talk, because it's troublesome," Naruto continued.

"Okay, maybe not so insane…" Nara froze, then looked the boy up and down cautiously. "Who's leading the mission?"

Naruto didn't know what to say, but had to come up with something. "Classified," he lied.

"Your other teammates?"

"Classified." Grumbling, Naruto didn't have time for this. "In the wallet is a bank deposit. Just deposit it into the specified account first thing tomorrow morning."

"You're not fooling me, you know!" Shikamaru grumbled. He turned away from the window. "This is just stupid! You don't think I know? You can't get your sensei back like thi-"

When he turned back to the window, Uzumaki was already gone.

Naruto turned to the old merchant, crawling into the cart, and pulling the various wares over him to shield him from inspection. "Just take me as far as you can before dawn," he explained. "Assuming all goes well, the payment will be in your account tomorrow morning."

The man nodded, and threw a canvas tarp over the cart, guiding the mule slowly towards the main gate. After some scrutiny by the chuunin guards, and an excessive bribe to leave peacefully, the merchant took a seat on the bench attached to the front of the wagon, the reins in his hands.

It was nearly six hours later, the first traces of dawn approaching, as the cart came to a stop. Jostled from the abrupt motion, Uzumaki stirred, but remained perfectly still. He heard the tarp being pulled back, the faint traces of light pouring in through gaps in the pots, pans, robes, and other merchandise the man had in the cart. Slowly, he unpacked the inventory, uncovering the genin. "It's safe," he explained, extending his hand.

Rising to his feet, Naruto nodded, and slipping his headband from his brow, tucking it into his backpack, he bowed serenely. "I appreciate the assistance."

The man nodded, his ragged, black hair and dull, brown eyes watching the boy as he started to run into the foothills of the borderlands. "If you need me," the man shouted, "I am called Hisao."

Extending his hand in a wave, the man turned back, restocking his inventory, and started on the main trail away from the border, never looking back.

Uchiha awoke to the shuffling of feet and the dully intensity of overhead lighting. Shivering under the off-white bedsheets in the infirmary, he tried to sit up. As soon as he moved, however, a sharp pain stabbed at his back. Coughing, he cringed, and sunk back into the bed. It was then he noticed two hazy figures standing above him, one in dark grays, and another in burgundy. As his vision cleared, he started making out the details of lighter hair colors, Konoha headbands, and two familiar faces. "Kakashi-sensei?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"Everything is fine," Kakashi answered, taking a seat on a nearby chair. Sakura, by his side, smiled faintly. "You will be in recovery for the next week, maybe two, but there are no permanent injuries." The jounin paused, looking back to Sakura, then out the window of the private hospital room. Just outside of his field of view, the man knew chuunin were waiting outside. With the added security, Sasuke would not remain ignorant for long. "There is a situation, and we had to increase security around the genin squads. If they ask you any questions, simply tell them the truth."

"What… situation?" the Uchiha asked.

The jounin turned to study Sakura's reactions, her head instantly snapping back to look her instructor in the eye. "Naruto Uzumaki," Kakashi started. "He has left the village. We do not know his intentions, but he is now declared a missing-nin, unless we can prove otherwise."

"Ha!" Sasuke spat out in disbelief. "Impossible!"

Kakashi cocked an eyebrow. "Why would you say that?"

Sakura leaned in towards the boy, but kept her eyes on her sensei. "He lost a mission!" Sakura exclaimed. "He's not going to go back and get himself creamed by Suna nin! Not in a million years! Not unless he's ready!" She sighed, looking to Uchiha for confirmation. "I mean.. we don't know him that well, but we know he's not completely stupid!"

Kakashi's face pulled back into a smile underneath the simple black mask. "I'm glad you believe that, because we're going after him, Sakura-chan, along with another teammate." He looked back to Sasuke. "Sorry, but you need focus on your recovery."

Sasuke just glared, his hands clenching down on the crisp sheets.

"Wait, you mean... to Suna?" Haruno asked.

Kakashi nodded. "We have a reliable source claiming Naruto was spotted in Wind Country apparel, headed for the border. According to this source, he has had nine hours to reach Wind Country. That is not enough time to even pass the plains to the high desert." At this, the jounin paused, placing a finger to his chin in reflection. "Of course, if he is looking for Hyuuga, he is likely going to start at Mamoru."

"Why there?"

Kakashi looked to his students in a disappointed sigh. "Because that's where their stories intersect."

End of Chapter VII

Comments/suggestions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	8. Chapter VIII: Attrition

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter VIII:**

_Kakashi nodded. "We have a reliable source claiming Naruto was spotted in Wind Country apparel, headed for the border. According to this source, he has had nine hours to reach Wind Country. That is not enough time to even pass the plains to the high desert." At this, the jounin paused, placing a finger to his chin in reflection. "Of course, if he is looking for Hyuuga, he is likely going to start at Mamoru."_

_"Why there?"_

_Kakashi looked to his students in a disappointed sigh. "Because that's where their stories intersect."_

Sarutobi nodded, the ANBU at his side moving to open the door, gesturing Yuuhi in to the small office in the Konoha administration building. "Kurenai," the Hokage greeted, nodding to her kindly. "It has been too long since our last talk."

Instantly, the raven haired genjutsu user cringed. The relationship between her and the Kage were comfortable, but never that comfortable, even when Asuma had suggested the woman may become the Kage's daughter-in-law. Such kindness was uncommon in the bordering villages, especially given the disbanding of the Whirlpool nin. This formality was also uncommon to matters that required action, which meant this meeting, Kurenai realized, would likely take on a more administrative flavor.

"As you are aware, the remedial class has encountered... resistance," the Hokage continued, his language carefully chosen. "We do not know the number of survivors, but, after speaking with the council in an emergency session, we have decided to reassign the remedial students to true genin teams."

"I must ask," Kurenai started, "how bad was it?"

"You have seen the Hyuuga, then?"

Yuuhi nodded.

"Her and Uzumaki were apparently selected, from what we can tell, as couriers to deliver classified reconnaissance to our intelligence division. Apparently, Suna is on the move." At this, the woman stiffened, and even the ANBU standing in the corner of the room flexed his hands nervously at the news. Such an implication meant another war could start any day. Compared to Konoha, the other villages had not favored as well, but still, the village was a long way from preparing for war.

"Do we know their strength?"

"Apparently ten jounin, and a contingency of chuunin," Sarutobi continued. "We have seen these numbers before. It is their typical expeditionary force strength. Their Kage has been trained in the traditional approaches, so we can only imply one meaning from this." All went silent in the room, the brightly lit sky and vibrant colors of the forest offering no comfort. "Their maps are old, and they need time to ready supplies, but that will not save us for long."

"I thought that Hyuuga's move was rather foolish," Kurenai answered, "but it looks like he filled in a major intelligence gap."

"Yes," the elderly man nodded curtly. "The borderlands still are a weak patrol zone for our ANBU, and Suna, if they have done their homework, surely know this."

At this remark, Yuuhi grimaced. "Then, we're not changing our deployment?"

"We only know Wind Country is preparing a move against us, but when, where, and how, that is uncertain." Rotating the office chair to look out the office's rear-facing window, the old man let a faint smile cross his lips, then pull away. "If they catch on to us, we may never find them again. So, we must fein ignorance, and strengthen our internal defenses until we can gather more information."

"Then this... wasn't the reason you brought me in, was it?" she asked.

The man once again turned to face her head on, resting his elbows against the worn desk. "I understand you have a vacancy in your team. Want to fill it?"

Kurenai nodded stiffly. "You know who I requested. Is she available?"

"She is still recovering, but the medic-nin tell me she is ready for light duty." He looked thoughtfully at her. "You may need to cover the basics, since Hyuuga-san has a rather... interesting way of teaching, but he produces quality students."

"I noticed," she smirked, recalling the meeting with the graduating academy class only weeks before. "Though... are you sure her skills are developed enough for C-rank missions? I was told he wasn't teaching even the most basic ninjutsu."

The Hokage waved a hand defensively, turning to the side, his eyes starting to graze the book collections, scrolls, and treatise clinging to the nearest shelf. Absently, he reached for one, a thick, hard-bound first edition in a simple black cover. The gold markings and insignia indicated the book was a locally produced work, coming from the same trashy publisher that produced those infamous novels Kakashi always read. However, it was nothing like the works of the Sannin, and odder still, it contained the binding seal of the Hyuuga.

"A mark of pride for his teammates, an insult to the main house, or a cry for revolution," Sarutobi indicated, "he never did tell me what it was." He set the book down firmly on the desk, the weight of the thing sinking in to all in the office. "It was his last, best work."

Kurenai read the inscription, and the bold title of the book:

'THE WAY IS DEAD: The Fall of the Shinobi and the Rise of Modern Clandestine Operations

By Hyuuga Raidon'

"No other publisher would touch it, of course," the old man went on. "He had to ask me for a recommendation, so I pointed him to the only pupil I knew that could help."

Kurenai blinked in surprise. "But I haven't heard anything about any new treatise since the Fourth-" She stopped dead as the words escaped her, and frowned, looking to the black manual, stark against the stained desk surface.

"It was not the council's finest moment," Sarutobi admitted. "Sadly, however, he told me the only buyers were the occasional feudal lords in the smaller countries, and one or two elder branch members. I don't think any of his ideas had exposure to the larger nations, at least I hope not."

"What do you mean?"

Sarutobi held up the text, his arm fully extended as if to keep it from him. He felt the crisp, sharp edges of the paper slice neatly into his skin, drawing the faintest trace of blood along his index finger. "Take this copy," he urged the woman. "I imagine... I will never read it again."

Kurenai rose to her feet, studying the thing in her hands, and bowed politely before exiting the room. The sun poured through the windows, but as the Hokage slumped against his chair, the office still felt cold.

The shadow reached the sacked village at the edge of night, his skin caked in mud, and his features hidden under the hood of the Suna coat. All that remained were refugees, some crying, some lying destitute on the side of the road, and others crumpled into silent prayer along the bodies. The scattering of small campfires dotted the ruins of the outer walls as the silent youth approached. Two guards, their armor gone, their crimson tunics tattered, and their weapons confiscated still stood at attention, gesturing for the dark form to halt.

Producing the simple documents, each guard scrutinized them carefully, but still gestured for the figure to come closer. "I must speak with the prisoners," the young voice answered in as deep and serious a tone as he could muster. "They have information I require."

The first of the guards nodded, while the other hesitated. "Under who's command?"

The shadow wrinkled and grew against the darkness, reaching out to the man. "That is none of your concern!" he hissed in disgust. "Your village serves us now! Obey, or be punished!" The ploy worked, as the two defeated men walked away, letting the creature through. As he passed through the opening in the decimated wall, the figure reached out expectantly for his papers. Again, the men hesitated, but did not wish to challenge the authority of Suna again.

Casually walking along the edge of the camp, just outside of the children's view, Uzumaki neared one of the fires, dropping the forgeries into the flames. As they burned, crumpling to ash, a small boy nearest the fire leapt up, his eyes wide and alert. But the shadow was already gone.

The three simple wooden cages stood side by side within the defenses of six chuunin, all wearing the headbands associated with Wind Country. Walking to the closest of the shinobi, Naruto was uncertain how to proceed. Lies and deceit, he could easily use against civilians. However, these were properly trained ninja, capable of detecting such treachery. Perhaps, if he could use _that_ technique, but that would be impossible, not against this many of them with such limited training.

"Stop!" the nearest chuunin barked.

"I must speak with their leader, the jounin," Naruto began. As the chuunin tilted his head, Uzumaki knew more was needed. Quickly, an idea formed in his mind. "Our team is on a mission," he explained, "and we think we have captured a Konoha genin." At this, one of the cages started to shift and creak under load. "She was brought to us by a merchant, a man named Hisao."

"What of it?" the chuunin barked. "It's just a Fire Country kunoichi. It's not like they are any use to us." He paused, looking back to one of the other Suna nin, making a foul gesture. "Well, maybe as entertainment, but certainly nothing useful-"

"You fools!" Uzumaki snapped a little too insistently. Quickly, he bit his tongue, but continued. "She is a Hyuuga!"

"A bloodline limit?" the chuunin asked. "Oh... then the Kazekage might have a use for her after all." Uzumaki cringed at the way the young men snickered, but tried to hide his disgust. He swore to himself, before the night was over, they would pay. If Hyuuga-sensei didn't get to them, he would.

"You know, that jounin is a Hyuuga too, or at least he _was_," the man grumbled. "Oh well, this might salvage things."

"Was?" Naruto asked.

"See for yourself," the man answered, then snickered.

The blonde, still wrapped in his robes, approached the cages one by one. He looked into each one cautiously, studying those kept inside. Thankfully, Naruto thought, there were only three of them. The two quiet, the brown and red haired boys, sat quietly in the cages. Still, while they were tough, tough as any boys Naruto ever met, he could tell from the red-rimmed eyes and the dark contusions over their faces, even they had limits. As he neared the final cage, he saw a jar sitting beside the structure.

Inside were two dull-white orbs soaked in red.

Naruto clutched at his stomach, then covered his mouth, but somehow managed to compose himself. This was inhuman, even by shinobi standards. He had been told the other villages were harsh, much harsher by Konoha standards, but nothing had prepared him for this.

The boy turned to the chuunin, glaring at him.

"Don't look at us!" the man barked. "You think we'd damage a prize like that? The fool cut them out himself... with a rusty kunai, no less." The others snorted and tried to stifle the laughter. "Some village, Konoha. A blind, dried-up jounin and a couple of wet behind the ears rookies; just goes to show you what they're really capable of."

"No wonder they lost their last Kage," another hollered, laughing aloud.

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear his mind from the awful thoughts clawing through his scalp. He wanted so much to do something, but he had to wait for the right moment. That's what Hyuuga-sensei would have told him. Turning back to Raidon, Uzumaki reached into the cage. "Hey, jounin!" he shouted, trying to get the man's attention, and play his role accurately.

The chuunin simply watched for a moment, then turned back to their duties.

"Hyuuga-sensei," Naruto whispered. "It's me, Uzumaki." Until that moment, there was no reaction from the cage. Suddenly, the bobbing lump of a head lurched up, a white blindfold turned bandage wrapped tightly around his face. Two deep stains where the eyes should have been soaked through the cloth. "Hyuuga-sensei," the boy continued. "I'll get you out of here!"

Raidon lived in an endless cycle of pain, slumber, and darkness. Only two of his students were captured along with him, thankfully both of them male. That would imply to Suna they had captured an unprepared genin team fresh from the academy. Still, no one was going to come for him. No one would be stupid enough to. A raiding party like this was only sent out to pave the way for war, and sending out such a task force would only speed up the time table.

As a result, the cycle dulled away when he heard a familiar voice at the front of his cage. Uzumaki was there, trying to break him out. Hyuuga shook his head. "N-no!" While he could not see, he could sense the increasing pressure of chakra just beyond the cage. Lowering his voice, he moved towards the boy. "My... eyes... where are they?"

"I-in... in a jar, right here..." the boy choked up.

Raidon nodded. "Good," he continued. "You... need to destroy them for me." As he felt the cage tremble, the boy's hands likely gripping the wooden bars, the Hyuuga insisted. "It's a bloodline limit, Naruto! If... if Suna takes them, they will have a medic-nin put them in someone they trust. They will use them against the village. You... you cannot let this happen."

Cringing, Naruto simply nodded. "I'm still... I've gotta get you out!"

Shaking his head again, the instructor looked directly at the boy. "There is not much time," he insisted. "The others, they are somewhere with the refugees, but you will have to find them. Dai, Ken, and I... The guards will be looking for us if we go with you."

Naruto started to twitch, his voice cracking as his breathing came in short, quick bursts.

"You're a shinobi, Uzumaki," the man tried to emphasize in a harsh tone. "You serve the village, not your teammates, not me, not anyone else. Don't be drawn in by such illusions." Suddenly, the man's cold, tired hands moved in rapid succession, forming seals. This was something he had seen the Uchiha use before, at least once. Instantly, the boy was shaking his head.

"No!" Naruto insisted. "Don't-"

"Don't forget, you serve the _village_, Naruto!" The man parted his lips, holding his hands up, and blew the flames throughout the inner surfaces of the cage. Uzumaki instantly sprang back as the wood crackled, and ignited. In the growing light, a hollow silhouette danced in writhing agony just beyond the flames, the jar next to it starting to smoke. The off-white orbs inside began to sizzle.

"Damnnit!" the lead chuunin barked, running to the burning cage. "Put it out! Put it out!"

As one of the chuunin produced a water jutsu, dousing the ashen corpse and collapsing structure in a giant billowing cloud of steam, a rattling came from the other two cages. Turning, the men had just enough time to see the hooded figure was gone, and the two cages were empty, a puff of smoke all that was left in their wake.

Why Inuzuka had been selected, he did not know. Still, it was an interesting diversion from the usual training routine, and since Kurenai hinted a new teammate would replace the dropout that left after the latest fiasco with Team Seven, he knew their studies would be placed on hold until the Hyuuga girl would be up to speed.

However, another thought formed in his mind. Naruto and the Hyuuga were both holdbacks from the same remedial group. It was just a rumor, a crazy one at that, but supposedly the two had returned from the remedial class together. Maybe the Hokage was reassigning them to Kurenai. Then, in that case, with a spot open on Team Seven, was he being traded for Dead Last and the heiress?

Kiba snorted in humorous delight. Two genin in exchange for him, he must be doing something right. However, as they approached the main gate, he started to feel the hairs on his neck stand on end. Leaving the village, so soon? "Kakashi-sensei," he asked, "what is the mission?"

"We're going after a missing nin," the jounin explained. At their reactions, Kakashi explained. "Naruto Uzumaki's intentions are not known, but he has left the village without clearance from the Hokage. As a result, we are ordered to retrieve him before he possibly encounters rumored Suna forces patrolling the border."

"But… wait, Naruto?" Kiba asked. "You mean… we're wasting time on Dead Last?"

Sakura did not outwardly admit it, but she had the same feelings as the Inuzuka. "He does have a point, Kakashi-sensei," she added. "What can he possibly do?"

"If he's as determined as he brags he is," the jounin answered, "he could easily start a war."

End of Chapter VIII

Comments/suggestions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	9. Chapter IX: Transformation

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter IX:**

_Sakura did not outwardly admit it, but she had the same feelings as the Inuzuka. "He does have a point, Kakashi-sensei," she added. "What can he possibly do?"_

_"If he's as determined as he brags he is," the jounin answered, "he could easily start a war."_

•••••••••••••

Kurenai sat at Hinata's bedside, watching the girl as the bandages were removed. "So, the Hokage wants me to join Team Eight?" Hyuuga asked. As Yuuhi nodded, she watched a slight frown form on the girl's lips. "What about Hyuuga-sensei?"

The jounin frowned, copying the girl's reaction. "It's… uncertain if he even survived," she answered. "The council doesn't want to take any risks." As Yuuhi studied her pupil, she didn't grasp the change in the girl until that very moment.

Rising to her feet, Hinata gripped the railing of the hospital bed, starting towards the door, her face hardened into a scowl. "This is unacceptable!" the petite heiress barked in a furious tone she would expect from the Inuzuka on her team. No, this reaction was different.

"Hinata!" Yuuhi shot back. Quickly, finding herself towering over her student, she sat back down on a wooden chair beside the bed, and lowered her voice. "This is the choice of the council. We must honor it."

•••••••••••••

Anko shuddered as she felt the rain start to pour down from the arriving storm. The stained canvas from the villagers helped to an extent. Of course, wearing the villager rags to blend in with the refugees was unpleasant, to say the least. The fact she had to burn most of her equipment to stay hidden with the other genin did not help matters.

While Dai and Ken managed to be captured going after Hyuuga-sensei, most of the kids were still with her, hiding amongst the other refugees. Sitting beside her, Akira twitched nervously, his arms wrapped around his knees as he squatted in the mud. Shima and Hiroko had tried to comfort him earlier, but watching Makiko as she was vaporized had done more than just temporarily flash blind him.

Instead, they could only wait. But wait for how long? The Suna nin would not leave until the village was stripped of all its resources, and rebuilt as a garrison for Suna's forces. While the genin huddled amongst each other, Anko tried to keep her distance to avoid suspicion. At least, it seemed to be working, until an oddly cloaked Suna nin approached.

"Mitarashi-sensei," the familiar voice called out. Somehow, Anko recognized it, but could not place it in the Suna equipment. As he approached, Anko retreated, taking on the guise of a frightened villager. "Mitarashi! It's Uzumaki! Time to go!"

Much against their training in stealth and inconspicuous behavior, three children raised their heads towards the voice. The jounin would have disciplined them for such a gesture, if it did not draw further attention to their group. Hiroko started towards the boy, but froze as another Suna chuunin approached. "Naruto, get out of here!" the girl whispered. "We can't get out as a group!"

Naruto snarled, looking to his left and right, noticing the suspicious intruders closing in on his position. "Halt!" one of them shouted. A group of five men drew their weapons, and pointed the rusted edges towards the boy. "Get down! Hands outstretched! Any resistance, and you will be killed!"

Naruto simply grinned. Since the ruling of the Council, seeing the butchering of civilians, and his jounin-sensei cooking alive as a distraction, Uzumaki had been waiting for a reason to strike back. Now he had the reason, and he had very carefully considered his options.

Instantly a cloud of browns, tans, and black appeared surrounding the five Suna nin. The Army of Uzumaki each held a kunai, an arm's length of steel wire affixed to the eyelet of the blade and carefully grasped in the gloved left hands of the figures. As the clones approached the five stunned men, only two were able to activate a counter-jutsu before they were enveloped.

Anko could only watch as a single figure stared down at the clones. The dark face blacked out by the night shone with inhuman red eyes, and bared teeth as it observed its handiwork. For a moment, she thought she could hear an evil laughter snaking through clenched teeth as the remaining Suna forces were enveloped in the darkness of fear.

•••••••••••••

By the time Kakashi's team reached the forest boundary, the genin under his lead were exhausted. They had pushed far beyond the normal training expected of shinobi their age. While Sakura had suggested dipping into their soldier pill reserves, the jounin forbid it. The extra metabolism and physical stress put on the body by the stimulants would only crush them into a weakened state later on. With each passing hour, they pressed deeper into enemy territory, and the side effects of a soldier pill would be detrimental to say the least.

Akamaru was the first to detect the odd scent, with Kiba quickly matching his partner's sniffing gestures. "That's… " he muttered. "Kakashi-sensei! We have blood up ahead… lots of it!" Sakura and Sasuke could only stare in confusion, looking to each other. Kakashi, for all of his stoic expressions, visibly flinched as they neared.

He could feel something was wrong with the battlefield ahead, and it truly was a battlefield. Reaching a clearing as the forest gave way to plains, the group descended to the ground.

A distant cloud of black smoke stood out starkly from the rolling plains ahead, the faint smell of rotting meat and ash tainting the air. In the far distance, just ahead of the smoke, a small progression of people started towards the forest.

"Scatter!" Kakashi barked. Instantly, Sakura and Sasuke darted through the scarcity of trees, taking cover amongst the brush. Kiba stood perfectly still, Akamaru staring ahead, ears pinned back in aggression. "Kiba, now!" the jounin barked again. Still, the boy did not move. Something was wrong, and the boy could sense it. His dog definitely wasn't going anywhere, now that it had locked on to a scent.

Kakashi squinted, pulling his headband away. Obito's eye was blurry at first, then refocused as it adjusted to the light. In the distance, he could see the masses wandering mindlessly ahead. But they were civilians, women and children in tattered clothes. Was it a ploy? Could Suna be trying to sneak their force across the border as refugees? No, Kakashi thought. It was too obvious and risky a gamble.

It was then he saw the leader, the two red eyes burning in the night.

•••••••••••••

In the depths of sleep, Hinata slowly awoke from the smoky haze. Blinking, she thought the sound of shouts and gasps echoed from her dreams. As she rose from the hospital bed, the sounds continued, intensifying, with an unusual cadence hammering through the air. Squeezing her eyes shut, she grasped at the painful intravenous line snaking into her arm. Standing slowly, she worked her way to the window of the hospital room. It was almost dusk, the sun retreating behind the mountains in Fire Country. Moving towards the window and the noise, the heiress blinked. She could not grasp what she saw.

The streets filling in with the people from Mamoru, Naruto Uzumaki stood at the lead of the group, guiding them towards the center of the village. They were weary, exhausted, collapsing in the streets. Old women and infant children battered, some crying, some silent, some deathly still. In the distance, she thought she saw the jounin, Kakashi, and his team trailing along the perimeter.

She had waited far too long, through the Academy, through the training en-route to Mamoru, and now, hiding from him in the hospital, she made her vow. She had risked so much to get where she was, why couldn't she say three simple words? The heiress had watched while Dead Last continued to astound and surpass any challenge they encountered, and here she was, hiding like a coward behind… what? Shame? Embarrassment? She was already those and a myriad of other things to the main house. So what would her reputation suffer if she admitted those things to him?

What if he rejected her?

But then she thought back to the foxholes dug into the cold earth of the forest clearing, the blonde leaning against her as they curled into the shelter. She remembered the traps and snares they overcame one by one. More importantly, she remembered the smile. It wasn't the same as that goofy, lopsided grin anymore. It was different, sincere somehow.

As the ANBU appeared, Uzumaki brushed past them, walking into the hospital. Hinata instantly rounded towards the door, hobbling towards the corridor. She heard the footsteps and gasps from frightened medic-nins grow louder. Finally, the footfalls echoed just beyond her door, a faint shadow hovering at the edge as the door creaked open.

There was no permission granted, no permission asked, and it didn't matter. Naruto was home. The two genin approached, staring into each other's eyes. The world went silent, the howling, screaming mob, the ANBU shouting commands, the other villagers quietly shutting their doors all drowned out in the whispered breathing of the boy and girl staring at each other as if they would never see each other again.

Hinata was the first to move, latching her arms around Naruto. Uzumaki followed suit, working his gnarled, raw hands through her soft hair.

For the endless infinity of time, until the nurse finally knocked on the door, Hinata failed to notice the scorched glass jar containing the charred orbs which sat upon the nightstand.

•••••••••••••

The Council was not pleased. This was the second time the Uzumaki brat had disobeyed a direct command from them, and from Sarutobi. And yet again, he disobeyed. This was to be a private hearing, and the Hyuuga heiress was there, standing by his side. Again, dressed in those torn, wretched Suna rags, he tracked the filthy farm soil over the polished wooden floors. Immediately behind the pair, that irritating trio of jounin instructors looked on, as if judging their ability to keep a simple shinobi reject in-line. Sarutobi looked on to his son, then to Yuuhi, and finally, to Kakashi. He simply slumped in the chair at the head of the table, his face pulled in a strained frown.

The Hyuuga family started barking first, followed by the Aburame clan, and finally, the Naras tried to step in to preserve the peace. The squabbling continued, however, without interruption until the blonde approached the Hyuuga clan. Hinata flinched, staying back with her new sensei, watching as Uzumaki brought the glass jar with Raidon's remains to her father. Bowing ever so graciously, Naruto set the jar on the table, locking eyes with Hiashi.

"What is this?" Hiashi cursed.

"It's all that's left of my master, your cousin," Uzumaki spoke just above a whisper.

Hiashi looked down at the charred, blackened orbs in shock, finally realizing what they were. "You… did this?"

Naruto shook his head. "Hyuuga-sensei sacrificed himself, to protect the village and your secrets. I watched has he burned alive, to give his students, and the villagers of Mamoru a fighting chance. He gave everything to preserve these people, to protect the Fire Country, and our village. You would now dirty his name, stain his honor black, sending these people away?"

Hiashi frowned, then pushed the jar gently away, urging it back to Uzumaki. "Keep your master's sentiment," he insisted. "His wishes aren't reflected here."

Hesitating, the blonde took the jar reverently in both hands, and bowing, turned away from the others, marching out of the council. Hinata followed suit, bowing before she graciously turned on her heel. The jounin simply moved aside, staring dumbly at the pair as the doors sealed behind them. It was Kakashi who finally stepped forward. "You sent for me?" he asked.

"The villagers have to be removed, and that… boy of Uzumaki's… he has to be reigned in," one of the Council elders spoke. "You are to strip him of his rank."

Kakashi shook his head. "With all due respect to the Council," he cut in. "Naruto is personally responsible for saving the lives of his team, protecting my team through the border lands, and guiding those villagers to safety. You cannot simply ignore such a commitment to our interests."

"What interests?" an Aburame asked.

Sarutobi interrupted. "The ANBU I dispatched to the border based on Raidon's reconnaissance indicate Suna is on the move, preparing to strike." He watched the Council go silent. "We do not know how soon, but they will come, and they will come in force. This strike on Mamoru is proof of that! Without that boy, we would be facing at least one more Suna reconnaissance force. He just bought us two, maybe three more weeks we wouldn't have otherwise."

"Are you saying we reward such behavior?" an elder Yamanaka muttered. "If we cannot trust the next generation now, how can we trust them when the village is in their hands?"

"That boy's mentor," Sarutobi stressed, "has earned and proven my trust more times than any other shinobi I've known since peacetime." He looked back amongst the Council, then to the three jounin. "If that boy is anything like his mentor, or anything like his father, you know he will not fail us."

"There is still the problem of his… outburst," the eldest of the women on the Council snapped. "You may trust the boy, but what about the Kyuubi?"

"That is why he _must_ undergo training with a specialist!" the elder Nara pressed. "We agreed to this twelve years ago, and now you want to change your vote? We knew he would likely follow the path of a shinobi. Such a decision cannot be questioned now!" He looked to Hiashi. "Perhaps a different sealing technique to further tighten our control?"

"That is for Jiraya to decide!" Sarutobi snapped. "He is the seal specialist in this matter, not the Hyuuga clan!"

Kakashi watched the interplay, before taking another step forward. "Leave him to me. You intended to reassign him to Team Seven, anyway. If there is any sign he is a risk, I will be the first to know." Sarutobi nodded, but there were indeterminate grunts about the council table. Eventually, however, the eldest members nodded uniformly.

"It is settled, then," Sarutobi stressed, before rising to his feet. The old man grunted and struggled out of the chair, grasping the nearest wall for support as he limped towards the door. Yuuhi watched cautiously, while Asuma clenched his left fist, shifting his weight ever so slightly to his lead foot. "As for Mamoru refugees, the Council can choose what to do with them without my input."

"But, Hokage-sama!" Hiashi stuttered, rising quickly to his feet. "Sir, your leadership is necessary!"

"Not for this!" the old man shot back, before succumbing to a coughing fit. Quickly, Kurenai bolted to his side, Kakashi in pursuit. Asuma, however, stayed frozen in place, too stunned to move. Taking a deep, raspy breath, the old man scanned the group of elders and clan leaders. "This Hokage won't be responsible for turning those people away."

•••••••••••••

Uzumaki stared at the mirror in the apartment, the stark hues of the village at night cutting into his reflection. The jar before the mirror, Naruto glared into his own eyes, the blue orbs piercing back into his soul. He had not changed, the tattered rags from the Suna merchant dangling from his body. The kunai still affixed to his belt, there was an odd comfort, weapons being so easily within reach. He almost didn't hear the knock at his door.

Opening it slowly, Kurenai-sensei stood silently, holding a black book in her hands. "Uzumaki-san?" she asked politely. The woman frowned, looking the boy up and down, noticing the muddy rags. He had not changed since he returned to the village, even though he was home, all the comforts of his apartment within reach. A simple shifting of her gaze to the nightstand told her everything she needed to know. "Uzumaki, can we talk?"

Nodding quietly, Naruto let the woman into the apartment. "Naruto," she started more casually. "The Council is transferring you to Team Seven, with Kakashi-sensei. There was… an opening on that team, and he can further develop your skills than Sarutobi-sensei or I." She waited, but there was no response, no hint of recognition. "Is that… okay?"

Uzumaki turned away from the woman, staring out the windows to the village proper. Beneath them, the refugees were quickly uprooted, forced out of the main gate by ANBU forces. "My master wanted his wishes honored. Isn't that the right thing to do, Kurenai-sensei? He died, and the Council ignores his pleas?" Scowling, Uzumaki folded his arms defiantly across his chest. "Kakashi-sensei would contact me himself if he wanted me to join Team Seven," Naruto continued. "Why are you here?"

Stepping towards Naruto, Yuuhi extended her arms, handing him the book. "I tried to give this to Hinata. It was your master's, but she… she didn't want it." Frowning, Kurenai watched the boy, not flinching, not reacting. He simply stood there, dulled by the elements. "The Hokage gave it to me to help understand, when I agreed to take Hinata on with Team Eight. However, the material is… If I don't keep it, and the both of you reject it, the Council will likely bury it with his memory."

"What is it?" Uzumaki asked, curious.

"It's a collection of your Raidon Hyuuga's work," she answered. "A lot of it… it's not useful for shinobi with jutsus, but maybe, maybe you can keep it for sentimental value."

There was a slight reaction now, a faint twitch, almost like a mournful smile on the boy's face. "I will keep it, Kurenai-sensei." He bowed respectfully, taking the hardcover binding in his hands. He felt the cold weight sink into his palms.

"If you ever need anything, Naruto," Yuuhi replied almost as an afterthought as she made her way to the door, "just ask."

Uzumaki nodded, then as the door closed behind the woman, he retreated to his nightstand. Setting the book down, he read the dedication:

"FOR MY BROTHER, AND ALL THOSE WHO DESERVE JUSTICE"

-R. Hyuuga

It was then the blonde looked up from the pages. Something had caught his eye, like an odd, blue glow. The ghastly hint of light reflected on the page. Studying the jar, Naruto watched as the charred orbs burned with the last traces of his master's chakra. And it was there, with that haunting glow of a Branch Hyuuga, that the inscriptions on the first page appeared.

"A map?" Uzumaki asked.

End of Chapter IX

Comments/suggestions, please leave a review.

•••••••••••••


	10. Chapter X: Rise

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter X:**

_It was then the blonde looked up from the pages. Something had caught his eye, like an odd, blue glow. The ghastly hint of light reflected on the page. Studying the jar, Naruto watched as the charred orbs burned with the last traces of his master's chakra. And it was there, with that haunting glow of a Branch Hyuuga, that the inscriptions on the first page appeared._

_"A map?" Uzumaki asked._

•••••••••••••

The screening force of chuunin and jounin had not reported for nearly three weeks, Gaara realized. The angered shouts back and forth in the council chambers could be heard from the training grounds. Hissing in frustration, he felt someone closing in. Turning and raising his sand defense, Gaara paused as his sister, Temari, frozen in place, let out a simple whimper. "G-Gaara!' she gasped.

"Do not sneak up on me, dear sister," he answered coldly. "What do you want?"

Taking a breath to calm herself, she sighed gently. "Do the know what happened to the advanced squad?" she asked.

"Dead," Gaara answered. "Our enemy must be strong. It will be interesting, to see who lives and who dies." Watching his sister flinch as he licked his lips in delight, he turned his back to her, and continued with his training.

•••••••••••••

**Eight Months Later**

Kakashi looked at his team roster once more on the board listings in the academy building, then back to the hand-written scroll he held in his hands. All three had signed up for the chuunin exams, but he had not seen Uzumaki since the announcements. Granted, they did not have a mission since the announcements, but the boy's behavior troubled him.

Their missions were carried out a little too efficiently. Uzumaki never seemed to waste time, completing his aspect of each mission quickly. While Naruto was far less skilled than Sasuke, the jounin knew something was wrong. There was no way the blonde could have completed his portion of their assignments without having some sort of advanced skills, skills that he apparently lacked every time he was forced to spar with Sasuke in mock battle training. Still, the boy lived for nothing but solitary training, often ditching their group sessions on the practice grounds, saying he would be back after studying one jutsu or another. Occasionally Sakura or Sasuke would find him with the Hyuuga heiress and the others in Team Eight, but he was never seen training amongst them. It was as if he was putting off his training, or worse yet, training only in secret, keeping his true potential hidden. The Council wouldn't like the latter one bit, and with the Hokage's failing health-

Hatake shook his head, and sifted through the duty roster for the next phase of training. He had to make sure his students were as prepared as they could be for the upcoming challenge.

Walking back to the administration office, Kakashi froze, looking up from the scroll in his hands. Was that… Naruto? Blinking, the jounin did a double-take, staring at the figure in black. It was Uzumaki, alright. Was he going to a funeral or something? Besides a few strips of orange along a black nylon utility belt, the blonde was completely monochromatic. The black turtleneck sweater and black utility khakis were topped off with fully enclosed black hiking boots, like the occasional civilian merchants would wear during the harder winters. Finally, a black synthetic jacket draped over his shoulder, but it was the minor details that the jounin had to study that impressed him. The boy's thighs and belt were loaded down with equipment pouches, again all black, without a single strap or brass fitting exposed to make the least amount of noise during movement. The black headband was gone, the protective plate painted a flat black, and affixed to his jacket's left shoulder. Then there was the kunai and shuriken, the ones he could see, at least. Those were all flat black. Was he even wearing black socks?

Kakashi had to hand it to Dead Last. While he couldn't manifest a decent henge, at least anyone without an eye technique would lose him at night. But would he even be able to see his own two feet in front of him? That's why all his instructors insisted on varying colors and more subtle camouflage hues. For a moment, the boy looked directly at him through the growing crowd in the merchant square. There was something off about the blue eyes today. Something dark was storming behind them.

The crowd passed between them, and then Naruto was gone.

Kakashi blinked, looking around. He didn't even sense a shunshin or a kawarimi technique. Walking across the street, Kakashi studied the boy's footprints, noting them in the damp soil from the early morning rain. He had traversed that much distance without a jutsu? Oddly enough, the tracks left behind by the boots were in an unfamiliar pattern, a pattern he had not seen before used by other shinobi. "Bad move," he muttered under his breath. "They could find you that way."

But where did he get all the gear, and how did he manage to afford it?

•••••••••••••

Hinata blushed as she heard the familiar footsteps approach the Hyuuga compound. Even without her Byakugan activated, she could tell who it was. She had spent so much time in the wilderness with him, it was hard not to recognize his characteristic sounds. Dressed in a heavier black jacket and matching utility khakis, she still kept the gray undershirt and wire mesh protective inner layer. But it was foolish, she realized. Shuriken would penetrate such defenses easily if she was ever engaged in a real hand to hand struggle, and how often did people have harmless accidents with shrunken in a shinobi village?

The flat-black painted headband draped across her neck, Hinata stepped out to the heavily polished wooden porch, putting the socks and fully enclosed hiking boots on her feet. "Why do you wear that junk?" Hanabi, her younger sister asked. Dressed in a black and red kimono, the newly appointed successor to the main house scowled at her dropout elder sister. "Those boots and clothes are for merchants, not a proper kunoichi! Or are you giving up on that path?"

Hinata furrowed her eyebrows, and started to instinctively move her index fingers together. She froze, however, pulling her hands away at the last minute, and taking a deep breath, locked eyes with her diminutive younger sister. "I would explain, but it would be pointless," she answered. "My training was different, and it requires different tools."

Turning on her heel, Hinata beamed into a genuine smile as she saw Uzumaki walk up the steps. Yes, she thought, it was finally happening. Smiling in return, Naruto took confident, intentional strides towards her. The two met along the path towards the compound, reaching out with their hands. Interlacing their fingers, each squeezed the other's digits gently, before walking away into the village.

In the distance, Hanabi noted, her father stared at the two with a disapproving glare.

•••••••••••••

Kurenai studied the reports alongside Asuma, and the two stared back at Kakashi. "You're serious?" Sarutobi asked. "You think they're-?"

"I don't know what to believe," Hatake answered, nursing the small vessel of sake in his hand. "But you have to admit, the evidence is leading that way. We don't know how those two were… affected by the events in Mamoru. More importantly, they have been spotted with Anko."

"But she was cleared!" Asuma spoke up. Yuuhi turned her gaze cautiously to the man, her lips pulled back into a frown. "I mean, she did the job, and Ibiki proved conclusively she wasn't turned. What more is there to say?" He noticed Kurenai's glare, and coughed, clearing his throat. "But, the same goes for all the genin from Hyuuga's class. Each one of them was thoroughly screened before they were indoctrinated back to the village."

"I agree, but something just doesn't seem right," Kurenai pressed. "However, Hinata and Naruto both have been through a lot. The Council's move to remove those refugees out didn't go as well as anticipated, and they still have much room to improve." She sighed, looking down at the reports. "At this rate, they're just passing the requirements to participate in the exams this year."

"But that's the key," Kakashi hinted, whispering. "They're _showing us_ they're just passing the requirements." He looked up at the ceiling a moment, then turned back to his comrades. "I never told you the bell test results."

"With Team Seven, sure you did!" Asuma retorted. "None of your kids got it, and that-" He paused, stroking the rough edges of his beard as Yuuhi focused on Hatake with interest. "Wait a minute, you mean with Naruto?"

"Yeah," Kakashi answered. "To avoid an unfair advantage, I rotated Sasuke and Sakura out of the mix, and instead had Kiba and Hinata participate. The results were… unusual." Reaching into his jacket pocket, the charred, dented bells fell loosely to the table. "Inuzuka was more or less useless," he said, adding an apologetic nod to Kurenai. The woman reciprocated the gesture, before Hatake continued. "But Hinata and Naruto both worked flawlessly together. They didn't get the bells away, but instead, they took a different approach."

"What..approach?" Kurenai asked. But then Kakashi gestured at the table, the two bells broken beyond repair. "Destroying them?"

"It means they're thinking outside the box," Hatake explained. "The last time I ran the bell test, my students tried everything from tricking me to an outright assault to get the bells from me. Most couldn't last more than a minute against me. But these two, these two kept it up for a solid hour, practically kept me on the defensive the entire time. Then they did _this._" Gesturing back to the bells, Hatake shook his head.

"That makes sense in theory, but what's the point?" Asuma asked. "If they destroy the bells-"

"Think what the bells represent," Kakashi stressed. "If it were a scroll, for example, and the objective was to keep the other forces from obtaining it…"

"There's another concern," Yuuhi blurted out. The two men turned to her instantly. "Hokage-sama gave me the last known copy of the Raidon Hyuuga text." She paused, waiting for them until they both nodded. "I gave it to Uzumaki."

"That's rather advanced, unorthodox stuff, not like it can help a genin starting out," Asuma hinted. "Or are you worried about the rumors, since he's around Hinata so much?"

Yuuhi frowned. She thought she was the only one to notice the pair for what they were. For a moment, Kakashi studied one or two pages of Jiraya-sama's disgusting "literature", then returned to the conversation. "The stories Raidon left detailed jutsus to overthrow the village? Come on, Yuuhi! Every branch member has been forced to study that manual by the Council, and none of them could find anything! If it was encoded, wouldn't it be visible to a branch Hyuuga? His sentiments weren't that well hidden."

Nodding, Kurenai looked at the bells, and frowned. "Still, I can't help but feel we've set loose another serpent. Don't forget, this isn't the first time we've had problems with eye jutsu users." The table went instantly cold and silent. "But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's nothing to the rumors, or maybe Hinata can't access them, if they exist."

"You don't have to worry about Hinata," Kakashi answered. "You have to worry about Naruto."

"What do you mean?" Kurenai asked.

"Look at what he's done so far," Kakashi hissed. "The kid beat the Academy with a jounin-level technique he studied in less than a day! Then he goes out, and with less than a few weeks of Academy-level survival training, saves the refugees single-handedly with deception, cunning, and only that one technique! Now, even if there is nothing to the rumors, you've given the Number One Knuckleheaded Ninja in the village, who by the way has an absurd talent with code-cracking, a treatise on political and guerrilla warfare theory that borders on heresy!"

Each of the jounin looked at the other, then frowned. "Where's Mitarashi?"

•••••••••••••

Anko Mitarashi had her reservations. After two masters had failed her, she was an outcast once again. Oh, the Council was quite thorough, stating repeatedly they had the utmost faith in her. Still, she was a specialist jounin, and doubted she would go any further. Morino was careful to dangle a position in counter-interrogation before her, suggesting her skills keeping the genin out of enemy hands was proof she could teach at a more advanced level. But that didn't seem to materialize as she intended. It was more busywork than anything else, listening in to current theories, taking notes, and working her way from one classroom to another. The path to jounin seemed to come to a standstill.

Then that Uzumaki brat came out of the woodwork again, with the heiress in tow. She had refused at first, telling them there was nothing she could teach them that their jounin-sensei couldn't. Furthermore, it was inappropriate to seek her out without their guided instruction. This wasn't like seeking out the legendary saannin for insight. She was blacklisted, and associating with her could mean…problems.

"I don't care," Uzumaki insisted. He glared at her, the heiress standing to his side at the edge of the waterfall. "You have skills, skills we need to be competent, and take it to the next level. You taught us before, and I'm asking you to teach us again."

Throwing her hands up in a passive shrug, Anko tilted her head to the side, the toothpick from the dango candy dangling between her teeth. "Okay, okay!" she sighed. "What did you want to learn?"

"Show us… the Box."

•••••••••••••

**Two Months Later**

Neji Hyuuga continued his sprint, ignoring the chants and jeers from Gai-sensei, and his ridiculous copy, Rock Lee. Even Tenten started to frustrate him earlier in the morning, asking random questions about her attire, how her hair looked, what she should do to prepare for the chuunin exams. So, alone, he accelerated past his teammates, leaping from branch to branch amongst the forest perimeter of the training grounds.

It was then he thought he sensed an unusual concentration of chakra. Coming to a stop, he hunched over the tree branch, looking down at one of the more secluded training grounds. It had gone unused for years, but no one knew why. Most simply didn't venture out that far, because the other sparring and training areas were closer to town. The instructors favored those because it was easier to watch their students, and protect them from possible intruders. But this one, this derelict field had two occupants today.

Activating his blood limit technique, his eyes adjusted, peering through the obstructions to the training area below. It was there, he saw a dance of blue and red chakra. The first was his cousin, that delinquent, Hinata-sama. She had changed since her disastrous tutelage under that outcast, Raidon, and that snake lady, Anko. Still, he did not expect the sort of changes he sensed on the field below.

The other was Uzumaki, that degenerate from the Academy. He had heard rumors about him, how he was responsible for that influx of refugees. Though, away on a mission at the time, Neji didn't make much of it. Gai-sensei seemed to reflect on the lingering refugees outside the village walls as a problem in human understanding that could only be resolved with the fires of youth. However, the fires of youth didn't burn too brightly in crippled old women and children.

Not at all like what he saw below.

The two sparred for nearly an hour since he stopped, and they were well into their regimen when he first arrived. As one struck out, the other countered with the inside blade of their forearms, redirected, and went instantly for inside strike to the chest or head. It was a deadly combination. Then he realized what he was seeing, the chakra leaking out as they continued. It was Jyuuken! The disgraced heiress, his own cousin, was teaching an outsider the Jyuuken strikes!

But as he watched, this wasn't traditional Jyuuken, and more disturbingly, the Uzumaki brat was hitting practically all of Hinata-sama's chakra points without difficulty. How could he do that? He didn't have the Byakugan, did he? It didn't make sense. Throughout the clan's history, there were records of outsiders trying to learn the techniques, determining how to defeat from the inside-out, but none had been successful because no one could replicate the accuracy of a Hyuuga.

Then he noticed the odd exaggerations, the interplay of their limbs and the focus of their eyes. This wasn't the same, not like Jyuuken at all! There were variations, combinations of katas he had never thought of putting together, not in his or any lifetime! This level of mastery, of refinement was something a master would have put together after decades of research.

It was then he heard his teammates approaching, and looking down at his own blistered hands, let out an exasperated sigh. If Rock Lee learned these with the same zeal...

•••••••••••••

End of Chapter X

Guys, thanks for the support on this story. So far, 1,540 views on October 16th, alone, and 1,750 views from the US. It's funny looking over these statistics, deciding which stories I want to keep writing, the ones I've lost interest in, and which ones no one bothers to read (especially the stories where only a handful of chapters are read, and the majority aren't even viewed).

It's also hilarious to see which countries read my work in greater amounts than others. While part of that is obviously the language barrier, it seems more tied to cultural influence and the way my ideas are conveyed compared to the norm. In comparison, I would love to see how Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton, my two influences, would stack up with these same statistics.

•••••••••••••


	11. Chapter XI: Immersion

I do not own the rights to "Naruto", nor any of the persons, places, or concepts within. This fan fiction is a non-profit tribute to the series, as well as a critique on it's existing plotline. Therefore, if requested by the owners and distributors of the "Naruto" anime or manga, I will discontinue and remove this story immediately.

**Chapter XI:**

_Then he noticed the odd exaggerations, the interplay of their limbs and the focus of their eyes. This wasn't the same, not like Jyuuken at all! There were variations, combinations of katas he had never thought of putting together, not in his or any lifetime! This level of mastery, of refinement was something a master would have put together after decades of research._

_It was then he heard his teammates approaching, and looking down at his own blistered hands, let out an exasperated sigh. If Rock Lee learned these with the same zeal..._

•••••••••••••

**One Month to the Chuunin Exams**

Hatake Kakashi was many things, but he was not stupid. There were rumors Anko Mitarashi had been seen with the Hyuuga heiress and Uzumaki at the far edge of the training grounds, along the edge of the nearby waterfall, and in the depths of the Academy's basement. While he was focusing his efforts training Uchiha for the rigorous examinations and combat ahead, he would not let his students linger on their own without guidance. He had insisted the boy seek out Jiraya-sama, hoping the Frog Hermit could do something about seal techniques and additional skills. However, he had checked in with Sarutobi's apprentice, and the the blonde had never arrived.

Arriving at the Hyuuga compound, he was surprised to find Kurenai there, as well. Raising an eyebrow, the former ANBU approached slowly at first. Then, as he noted the aging footprints of Uzumaki's boots leaving the compound with another pair, but none returning, he started to run towards his comrade. "Kurenai?" he asked. "You came to find your student, as well?"

Nodding, Yuuhi frowned. "They're both missing," she explained. Standing just beyond the edge of the door, Hiashi started to move out into the courtyard. "Hiashi-sama, if you have any ideas-"

Frowning, the clan leader shook his head. "Hinata has been missing for nearly three days now. I have had the entire clan searching for her, but to no avail." As the raven-haired woman tilted her head in condemnation, the man scowled. "You think I want to banish her? Even if she doesn't step up to lead the clan, she is a Hyuuga. Losing her would be… unwise." Kurenai noted the hint of stress wrinkles and redness around the man's eyes, but made no mention of it.

"If we find anything, we will notify you," Kakashi interjected, before signaling Kurenai to follow. Walking along the path out of the courtyard towards the main gate of the compound, Hatake placed a hand to his forehead, shaking it in frustration. "This is not how I intended to spend my day. Kurenai, we need to compare notes. What do you know about Hinata's habits? Does she have anywhere she and Naruto routinely visit?"

Shaking her head, Yuuhi sighed. "They keep their interaction private." It was then, she paused, thinking for a brief instant. "I've sent Shino and Kiba both to scout for the pair, but neither can find any trace."

"How is that possible?" Kakashi insisted. "You have good scent and chakra profiles on both of them, don't you?"

"Just Hinata," she answered. "Though… wouldn't you have something we could use to track Naruto? Maybe we need to approach it from that angle."

Nodding, Kakashi paused, looking back down at the ground. He stopped dead in his tracks, or rather, Naruto's. Kneeling down, he studied them in further detail. "You recognize this footprint?" Waiting for Kurenai, the woman knelt beside him, studying the imprints, tracing her finger over the unusual shape. "This is a specific boot only Naruto wears. I noticed it months ago, after he returned."

Nodding, Kurenai noticed the second pair of footprints beside them. "This is definitely Hinata, but, where do they go?" She scanned the ground, suddenly noticing a deeper print of the same pattern for one foot, but not the other. Then, the opposing foot. Looking between the two sets, she noted both had the same variation. "Are they..?"

Kakashi nodded. "They changed from boots to sandals to throw us off the trail. That's rather creative, but why didn't we notice it before?"

"Because we're not thinking like genin with fewer techniques?"

"I don't think any genin has tried this hard to hide from their sensei before," Hatake commented. "But this gives us a starting point."

•••••••••••••

Neji had done his homework over the years, learning the traits of his uncle. In time, it had proven most useful, as it was now. Maneuvering quietly through the house on the verge of sunset, he started slowly towards the perimeter of the compound. The clearing was left open to prevent enemy forces from stealthily entering the premises without detection, but still, some cherry trees were allowed to grow. This was more an aesthetic sense than a defensive one, and that always proved the failing of the Main Branch. No matter how they stressed their clan's importance for all tactical matters, their flaw was rooted in their prestige.

Scaling the larger of the cherry trees ever so slowly, Hizashi's son blended into the trunk and branches of the growth, working his way up the rungs until he could pass undetected over the perimeter wall. Once on the opposite side, he inspected his equipment. Besides the rations and foul-weather layers, his ordinary cache of shuriken and kunai were doubled. He did not know what to expect from this Uzumaki, but he would wait, and patiently observe.

Yes, he thought, gripping the kunai in his hand. He would wait for his chance, and take what he wanted.

•••••••••••••

With night setting in around Konoha, Teams Seven, Eight, and Nine had all retired. That is, all but two members. That was where Neji found them, still hard at work, practicing their techniques. Frowning, he sat hunched in the same tree from before, studying in the pitch black darkness. His eyes quickly adjusting to the darkness, he was surprised as the two continued without so much as torchlight to guide them. Of course, Hinata-sama would not require it, but what about Uzumaki? Surely he was having difficulty in the pitch of night.

Quickly, a third shape joined them, the lean, muscular woman in the tan trenchcoat standing to the side of the pair. In her arms, the woman revealed a key, handing it to Hinata. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid with this," she insisted, receiving a nod from the heiress. "It took a lot of effort getting this out of the landlord's hands without the Council knowing. Don't make me regret this."

"Thank you," Naruto replied, taking a step closer to Anko Mitarashi. "You have been very helpful with the last two months of training."

"Seems you don't need me anymore," she said. "You have everything you need for the exams."

"Not everything," Hinata replied. The other two looked up in surprise. Neji also stared in shock, seeing a look of determination he had never seen before in his cousin. "You still haven't shown us how to summon a familiar." Neji squinted as Mitarashi and Hinata-sama spoke so openly. Something was different here, amongst these two.

"That's not something I can help with," Anko hesitantly stuttered, turning her head to the side. "The only way you can summon a familiar is if you make a pact in your own blood with the scroll belonging to that familiar."

"Still, you have a scroll for-" Uzumaki started, but was quickly silenced by the woman's sharp stare.

"I won't have anyone else binding themselves to snakes!" Anko insisted. "Not in Konoha, not now, not _ever!"_ She watched the two flinch momentarily, then sighed, looking down at her feet. "It is a long story, but you do not want to bind your fates with me. I would only drag you down."

Naruto nodded quietly. "Then we will just have to blaze our own path."

Smiling faintly, Hinata turned to Anko. "We will, it is our way, the way Hyuuga-sensei insisted we push forward."

Neji scowled. How they referred to his distant uncle, a Branch Member, no less; to hear it was refreshing. He stared at the three, watching even as Mitarashi trailed off into the inky blackness beyond the clearing. "What are you up to, Uzumaki?" the Branch Hyuuga snarled under his breath.

Turning their backs to the tree Neji sat perched in, the pair studied the brass key, numbered for a specific apartment. "Are you sure about this, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly. Suddenly, the discomfort and the hesitation returned, the heiress once again clinging to the boy's outstretched arm.

"I don't know about you," Naruto started, "but Hyuuga-sensei started us down a path." He examined the key in the darkness, a slight glint of the moon's reflection cutting into the jagged surface. "I can't turn away now. I must know everything." As his cousin held the boy tighter, Neji's hands clenched into balled fists.

Here he was, the pinnacle of the Branch House, forced to watch as his fate was ruled by an inferior cousin. Forced to watch again as she chose to follow a disowned member of the Branch House, he couldn't fathom what insidious plot she had concocted for his father's people. What would happen to the family? The stability of the clan was in jeopardy, all because of this Uzumaki, and now Hinata was contaminated in his filth.

Uzumaki froze, turning to look up to the tree. In the stillness of night, the icy blue eyes glinted in the moonlight, and for a moment, they seemed to glow with an inhuman flame.

•••••••••••••

Sakura stared at the Yamanaka flower shop in the rising daylight. Looking towards the second floor, the kunoichi bit her bottom lip. In time, she would face her rival, her best friend, and her adversary. It was inevitable, but the outcome, that was still unknown.

Sasuke was ready. More than ready, she reminded herself. Haruno had seen the end result of a training session between Kakashi-sensei and Uchiha. The wooden practice posts, the surrounding trees, even the grass itself was scarred from combat. Both of them had worked so hard, but in the end, she knew there was no one on Sasuke's level. She, on the other hand, where did she actually measure up?

Running her hands through the roughly chopped tresses dangling from her head, Sakura thought she sensed movement behind her. Freezing in place, she noted the spotless, crisp white of a kimono worn on broad, proud shoulders. It was only when the man stepped two paces in front of her left side, back to her, that she could recognize the figure.

Hiashi Hyuuga, leader of the Main House, stood silently in front of the flower shop. "Miss, do you know if the Yamanakas are open for business yet?" he asked.

Shaking her head, Haruno flinched nervously. "N-no, Hyuuga-sama," she answered respectfully, bowing deeply to the man. "They will not be open for at least another hour."

Nodding, the man paused, turning to face the girl. "Then, may I ask why you are here?" He looked at her curiously, then beamed a faint, almost happy smile. "You must be Haruno's daughter." As Sakura's mouth worked open and closed like a gaping fish, the clan leader raised a hand in apology. "I can tell by the eyes. Haruno always had such kind eyes."

Fumbling for words, Sakura blushed. "What are you doing here, Hyuuga-sama?"

It was Hiashi's turn to frown and fumble for words. "My daughter… I need to find some flowers for her." He looked down at his hands, the knots and callouses worked into the rough surfaces of his palms. "For us, sometimes it is hard to express just what we feel for our daughters. Perhaps… perhaps expressing ourselves through fighting is the shinobi way."

"Then, doesn't she know how you feel?" Sakura ventured. "I mean, Hinata-sama is a proud shinobi, herself." Blushing, Sakura looked down at her feet. What was she doing, getting into a talk like this with one of the most reputable clan heads in the village?

Hiashi shook his head in disgrace. He would not normally speak to someone so openly, but this girl, something about this girl was different. It was Haruno's eyes, he presumed. She had always been so open to him, too. Even when the others shied away, when he isolated himself in shame for his brother's fate at the Academy, Haruno always welcomed him openly. "Hinata… is not like that, not in a way I can express how I feel."

As the curtains rippled and shifted in the second story window, Sakura noticed the blonde with cornflower blue eyes peek out from behind the glass. The two exchanged glances, each smiling, then frowning. "There are things only flowers express, I suppose," Sakura answered.

•••••••••••••

The apartment was in the last place Naruto would expect, and yet, in a way, exactly where it should be. Located in the center of the village, the ground-level apartment overlooked the main gate, the rows of merchant tents, and the poorer districts. Opening the door with the key, Uzumaki studied the etchings and scrapes gouged into the door. It was a cheaper apartment, hardly maintained on the outside. Some said it was there since the founding of Konoha, itself. Moving into the entry way, however, the interior was in pristine condition. The contents left unattended, Naruto hoped for a desperate moment his master would return through that door any minute. He had reportedly died before. How was this time any different?

Yet the room remained still, only the motes of dust dancing past the sun streaking in through the window. Uzumaki shook himself free of his thoughts, remembering the reason he had come. Opening the black book, he studied the text in detail. Then, in his left tactical pouch, he retrieved the eyes, now placed in a small graduated cylinder. Pulling the shades on the windows, the blonde was welcomed by the faint blue glow once again, the invisible ink coming to life on the pages under the residual chakra. Yes, he thought, he was here!

The book had hinted about many things in the hidden text. Studying both the published material and the hidden codes, Uzumaki was convinced his master was either a brilliant strategist, or a madman. Truly, there was only one way to be sure.

Closing the front door, the closet to Naruto's right was revealed. Locking the front door's latch, he opened the closet's sliding wooden door, and found the small numerical code etched in the doorjamb. Working his hands over the edges and down to the floor, he spotted the ever so delicate outline of a loose floor panel the width of a man. Taking his kunai, Naruto pried at one edge, eventually freeing the panel, and setting it aside, peered into the darkness.

The black book sparked to life, burning in Naruto's hand as the obscure seal written in blood smoldered on the back of the trap door. Uzumaki dropped the book down the pitch black crevasse plunging into the cold, damp soil, the light reflecting on the shimmering dew. A series of wooden ladder rungs protruded from the soil, leading into the darkness below.

For the longest time, Naruto stared into the darkness of the pit. Finally, his feet moved to the edge, and along the muddy earth. Gaining a foothold on the rungs of the half-buried ladder, the blonde pulled the panel over the opening, concealing it once again. As the fire burned below, the blue chakra of the scorched eyes faded into darkness.

Naruto climbed down the ladder, finding his feet on solid ground as he stared towards the gaping maw of the tunnel ahead. The last of his master's legacy, the original hardcover edition of his work, burned to ashes as the apprentice worked his way into the darkness.

•••••••••••••

**Day of the Chuunin Exams**

Hinata stood in line with the others of Team Eight, awaiting registration. Dressed in her stark black outfit against the tans, greens, blues, and grays of the others, the heiress looked down at her feet. The fully enclosed toes were an unusual sight for the genin walking by, leading to a few sneers and joking remarks. However, Hinata was not upset by them. Pensively studying the ground ahead of her, she was upset because Naruto had not returned to visit for nearly a week. He said just before he left there was something that needed to be done, a final trail waiting to be discovered.

Watching as that Rock Lee, who oddly resembled his jounin-sensei, walked by, flirting with Haruno, the heiress bit her bottom lip. Where was he? She felt oddly alone, exposed, even with her group, without him. Watching as Rock Lee's efforts to intrigue Sakura failed miserably, she felt the cold stare of his other teammates on her. Her cousin, Neji, bored his eyes into her remorselessly, while Tenten simply looked on, her face contorted in an odd frown.

Detecting her student's concern, Kurenai stepped closer, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "He will be here," Yuuhi sighed. She had just spoken with Kakashi, and confirmed, much against her wishes, that Naruto would be participating.

Almost on cue, Team Seven's outcast arrived, with Anko Mitarashi in tow. Hinata studied him cautiously, noticing something dark hidden behind his eyes. Sprinting to the blonde, the heiress reached out, squeezing his hand in a very visible display of affection. Blushing brilliantly, however, she did not care as her cousin let out a disapproving hiss. Uzumaki was here, and that was all that mattered. "I wasn't sure you would make it," she whispered. "Where have you been?"

Naruto nodded quietly, and wrapped his arms cautiously around Hyuuga. Looking across the room to Team Gai, and Neji in particular, blue eyes met silver, deadlocked as each tried to penetrate the other's intent. Letting a feral, predatory smile cross his lips, the blonde couldn't help but size up the threat. "Our master's last lessons took longer than I expected," the boy answered. "But don't worry, it's all over now."

The couple stood as an island in the growing crowd, the jounin instructors watching in curiosity. "Any idea what he has up his sleeves?" Kurenai asked, turning to Kakashi.

Hatake shook his head, folding his arms defensively across his chest. "I've asked Jiraya-sama to check in on him from time to time, but Mitarashi has been sheltering Naruto from him, but nothing that would provoke a more… direct response." Frowning underneath his mask, the former ANBU looked over his shoulder at the last Uchiha. "If it comes down to it, I've taken precautionary measures." He scanned the room casually, noting the several ANBU surrounding the perimeter. "However, he's my student, and he hasn't done anything to threaten the village. We can't assume anything."

A small fly worked its way through the room, hovering within arm's length of the blonde. Kakashi squinted, watching as the insect was there one moment, and simply vaporized the next. Yuuhi paused, her face pulled down in a nervous tick, while in the distance, Neji clenched his teeth. He knew that technique, feeling his hands instinctively duplicate the gesture as if tutored by his uncle once again.

Raidon's disciple was ready.

•••••••••••••

End of Chapter XI

-October 25th, 2012: Thanks again for all the support, and everyone who is adding me for my other projects, as well. Life is normalizing, and now that everything is falling under a routine, I will keep at the chapter updates.

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